


A Deeper Hue Of Blue

by xyvesoulx



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: ;), F/F, I promise, Jungeun wants to learn how to fight, Like really slow, MMA, No main characters die, Slow Burn, Yves - Freeform, Yves is an mma trainer, Yves is there to teach her, kim lip - Freeform, lipves - Freeform, lipves endgame, two part story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-24
Updated: 2020-01-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:00:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22381492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xyvesoulx/pseuds/xyvesoulx
Summary: Jungeun is a young adult, struggling to keep the remainder of her family afloat with the little amounts of money she has. She struggles to take care of her younger siblings after her father leaves them, and she’s forced to mature because their mother is an alcoholic.She comes across a popular gym in her job’s neighborhood one day, and notices they have a competition for trained fighters to win some cash. But the problem is, Jungeun doesn’t know how to fight. Nor does she know how to fight trained fighters. So she finds herself getting help from a woman named Sooyoung, the owner of the gym, who is immediately infatuated with Jungeun. Will Jungeun win the prize? And will Sooyoung get the girl she’s been wanting?
Relationships: Ha Sooyoung | Yves/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Comments: 14
Kudos: 109
Collections: LIPVES





	A Deeper Hue Of Blue

**Author's Note:**

> **TRIGGER WARNING:///**
> 
> * Small mentions of abuse*  
> * Violence because well, they fight a lot in here*  
> * Blood *  
> * Alcoholism and Drug Abuse *

* * *

Anger. That was all Jungeun had felt since her dad left. All she was left with was her sister Yerim, her brother Lucas, and her mom. Her mom, who was an alcoholic and a drug dealer. Jungeun desperately tried to tell her to just get a job. But she refused, she never listened. She was stubborn. So at times, Jungeun was left alone for _days_ , taking care of her siblings. Doing her best to make sure they had food in their stomachs before they went to bed. 

When she would return, falling all over the place, as high as a kite, Jungeun would take care of her. Pushing aside her own anger to help her mother. Her job only helped so much. Most of the money she made was taken by her mom, the other being used on her siblings. Not only for food, but for school as well. She’d wake up early while her mother was still passed out on the couch. 

As she walked by the bathroom, she spotted her brother trying to adjust his tie on his uniform. “Need help?” She asked, and he turned around and nodded awkwardly. Jungeun immediately helped the taller boy, as he just waited patiently for her to finish.

“You’ll be fine. I promise.” She reassured, and he smiled before fixing his hair in the mirror. “Is Yerim awake?” 

“She was last I checked..” 

Jungeun made sure to pack them both lunch. And sent them off, the both of them walking to school together every morning. She would have about an hour to get some extra sleep before she had to get ready for work. Repetition. It was boring. This endless cycle would be the death of her. 

Everyday, it was the same thing, and at times, she had to remind herself why she kept going. Her siblings needed her more than anything. The weight of it all crashing down on her randomly at times as she lay awake in her room, staring up at the ceiling with tears sliding from the corners of her eyes. And the next day, she would wake up, and she’d be strong. 

For Lucas. For Yerim.

As she stepped out of the house that was practically falling apart, she went on with her day. The journey to work was always a little grueling, especially in the winter. Public transportation was definitely going to be the death of her. She desperately needed a car, or a bike. Just anything away from obnoxious, dirty, annoying people. It was a nightmare, from the moment she opened her eyes, to the moment she lay her head down onto her pillow at night. 

The only thing that made her eyes shine just a little were her co-workers. Haseul and Jiwoo during the week, Vivi on weekends whenever she was scheduled. Jiwoo had a very contagious aura. It was hard to be down when you were around someone so chipper, eager and excited. That was the only good thing about Jungeun’s life. She at least enjoyed her job… somewhat. Still wasn’t enough to put food in the fridge, or buy Lucas new uniform shirts whenever he grew out of his old ones. 

She was waiting for her hair color to change from the stress, or fall out at this point. She desperately needed a change. She often attempted to win the lottery. It was false hope. But it was something. She would take anything at this point, just to feel _something._

* * *

“Don’t forget to put up that sign during closing.” Sooyoung said to the dark haired boy. “We need some contenders.” He nodded.

“You got it boss!” He said jokingly, watching as Sooyoung rolled her eyes before tossing her bag over her shoulder. 

Sooyoung was your average 23 year old. She had been fighting since the age of 14. Her father encouraged her to take martial arts classes. And since then, she had been unstoppable. At the age of 21, she was training others, making them better fighters. Often helping them so they could compete against other clubs. Fighting was Sooyoung’s life. She loved it, she craved it. 

And at the end of each day, if she wasn't staying at the gym late after closing time, she was home, in her bed. Her simple 2 bedroom apartment on the 2nd floor of her building. Sooyoung also had a sibling. 1 blood sister, and 1 brother. Mark. Someone she considered a brother because they were so close since middle school. He helped her run the gym, alongside their friend Jinsoul, who would usually help plan events. She also helped with registrations. Those 3, along with the other trainers, kept the building going. 

The club had been going for quite a while. Sooyoung making a name for not only herself, but her fighters. Eventually getting a sponsorship for the club to contend in. 

The prize being a large amount of money for those who came in 1st and 2nd place. Sooyoung visited her family often, her mother constantly scolding her daughter if she spotted a new bruise somewhere. “I told you to be careful.” She scolded.

“I am being careful mom.” She kissed her cheek, hugging her younger sisters that relaxed in the living room. Hyejoo and Yeojin. Her older sisters had already moved out obviously. She helped her mother with dinner, they ate, and she was on her way back home. 

After hours of helping the kids with their homework, Jungeun was finally able to rest. Her head pounding after such a long day. She just needed to lie down. Preferably for a few days, but she was sure she’d be getting a small amount of sleep tonight. She could never sleep immediately. Another issue she struggled with besides the anger that boiled up inside of her every other day. 

And again. The same process. The same cycle. It needed to be broken. But Jungeun didn’t know where to start. After her shift at the music store, she found herself walking to get something to eat before heading home. She knew the kids would be hungry, and although it’d be cold by the time she got home, she could always warm it up.

She was in her own world.. she didn’t know what made her look into the building beside her. Maybe it was the large bold letters above the entrance that read “ **Dark Swan MMA & Fitness**”. Whatever it was, she was at the window, looking inside at the people exercising and fighting. 

Her eyes trailed a little more to the left, and she read the sign in the window out of curiosity. Something in her head clicking when she read the sign completely. 

_Looking for fighters interested in winning $60,000. We’d prefer if you had any experience in Martial Arts, boxing, or any sorts of fighting/fitness. Preferably women. But men are welcome too. Don’t miss out on this chance to be great!_. 

Jungeun instantly took out her phone, taking a picture of the sign and then putting the location in her notes. 

She would return tomorrow.

She brought home pizza that night. It was thankfully still warm when she got home, since she bought it from a place close by. “You did your homework right?” She asked, and the girl nodded.

“Are you lying?”

“No! I really did do it. Lucas will tell you so.” Yerim defended, and Lucas nodded. He told the older one they both did their homework, and when Jungeun asked them to prove it. They gladly showed her the completed work. Lucas gave her a kiss on the cheek before heading upstairs, and although she grimaced, that was the only thing that made her happy that day. To top it off, Yerim hugged her tightly from behind.

“I love you Jungeun. Goodnight!” She said cheerily. At times, Jungeun wondered if they felt anger too. Maybe they were just better at hiding it. Maybe they were just too young, too oblivious, to grasp it all. She didn’t mind shielding them from this hell for as long as she could. 

The next day, she found herself in front of the gym again. It seemed fuller today, and Jungeun almost bailed out. But she couldn’t, especially when the girl behind the desk made eye contact with her. Beckoning the girl over. “Are you here to register?” The dark haired girl asked, her tone welcoming as she waited for Jungeun’s response.

“I want to fight.” Jungeun simply said. “I want to make money.” 

The girl didn’t know what to say. “Okay. Ms. I want to fight.” She chuckled. “You need to be a member first, before you can fight.” She informed, handing her a card that Jungeun put into her back pocket. And then shortly after, she was handed a clipboard with a paper on it. As she sat down to fill it out, Sooyoung spotted her. Finishing the session she was in, and stepping out of the ring. 

“Great work today. Make sure to work on that left hand.” She smiled, walking over to the desk. 

“New member?”

“Allegedly… she said she’s here for money. To fight.” 

“She looks like she couldn’t hurt a fly.” Sooyoung laughed, walking over to her. The girl was focused on filling out the form, not even looking up at Sooyoung at first. But when she did, she didn’t expect her to be smiling at her. 

“Sooyoung.” She introduced immediately. “I’m a trainer here… you’re becoming a member?”

Jungeun simply nodded. “How long?”

“What?”

“How long? Are you signing up for?”

Jungeun shrugged. “However long it takes to get to that money.” She pointed at the sign on the door. 

Sooyoung followed where she pointed, nodding understandingly. “Can you fight?”

“I can.” 

“Is that so? Show me.” Sooyoung challenged, and the girl’s eyes turned sharply over to Sooyoung’s as she lowered herself. 

“Show you?” 

“Yeah. Get in that ring. Right now. And show me you can fight. And I’ll train you, for free.” 

“Wait I have to pay?” 

“How else do you think we get paid?” The taller girl questioned, standing up as Jungeun followed her. She thought for a moment, not knowing if she’d be able to pay for a membership. She figured she’d just beat this girl’s ass and get her free membership. She was confident for the most part. She had gotten into fights multiple times. She didn’t always win, but she at least didn’t go down easy. Sooyoung handed the girl some gloves, stepping inside the ring and having Jungeun follow. 

Sooyoung also put on her gloves. She smiled at the girl, getting into position. “Let’s see what you—“ 

And she was punched directly in the face, knocking her back momentarily. She laughed to herself. “I let you have that one.” She admitted, and Jungeun shrugged, moving to attack again. She thought, maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she expected. But she felt her frustration growing whenever Sooyoung dodged or blocked one of her hits. 

The taller girl wasn’t hitting back, but rather countering. And the second she attempted to hook her right arm, Sooyoung ducked away from it, slamming the girl down onto her back. Jungeun felt the air leave her lungs, and Sooyoung’s rough elbow pinning her head down. When Jungeun clearly struggled to move her, Sooyoung got off, seeing the anger in the smaller girl’s eyes. 

“Round 2.” She taunted, moving towards Jungeun who attacked almost immediately. Instead being flipped over onto her back again. She didn’t know what it was about being slammed down onto that mat, looking up at the ceiling as you tried to catch your breath again. But she hated it, and it just made her angrier, and Sooyoung could tell. 

She could tell she was annoying the other girl, because she was hardly trying. Further proving her point. Jungeun simply couldn’t fight. “Fuck off.” Jungeun threatened, and Sooyoung smirked.

“That isn’t very nice.. last round.” She said, not giving Jungeun a chance to process anything. She swiftly moved forward, catching the poor brunette off guard and bringing her down to the mat. Her arm being pulled viscously behind her back as she tapped out to indicate she was done. And Sooyoung stood up, stepping away and simply removing her gloves. 

“Fuck this. I don’t need this. Or you.” She cursed, getting off of the ground with steam practically coming out of her ears.

“Fuck you. And fuck you.” She pointed at the girl behind the desk, also known as Jinsoul. “Fuck this gym. I don’t need your stupid money.” Jungeun said angrily, throwing the gloves directly at Sooyoung. Grabbing her things on her way out and slamming the door behind her. 

“Ouch..” Jinsoul said, watching as everyone in the gym returned back to what they were doing. 

Sooyoung felt for her, frowning as the girl stormed off. “Don’t worry— she’ll come back.” She said to the girl, but especially to herself. She looked down at the clipboard left behind, reading the name written on it. It was almost like chicken scratch, but still able to be read. “Kim Jungeun.” She read aloud. “Put her in the system… I have a good feeling about her.”

“But the membership?” Jinsoul questioned, and Sooyoung shook her head. 

“I’ll pay for it. We’ll just… wait.” She said softly. Jungeun would come back. They _always_ come back. 

As the girl made her way home, her arm still aching from the bullshit pulled on her. She attempted to calm down before she got home. Her siblings didn’t need her shitty energy to be taken out on them. She got her ass beat. And not even entirely. She was just played around with, the other girl making her look stupid in that ring. What did she honestly expect though? She unnecessarily egoed the other girl, and got put in her place. 

She shouldn’t be angry at Sooyoung for that. But she was. It didn’t help that she was horribly sore the next day, barely able to stand straight as her shoulders and back hurt. When she lifted her pants off the ground, the card slipped from the back pocket, grasping her attention. She sighed, bending down to grab it and eyeing it carefully. 

It was the card Jinsoul gave her when she was signing up for a membership. She sighed to herself, tossing it onto the dresser. 

“You look terrible.” Lucas pointed out when she got to the kitchen. She limped over to the fridge, rolling her eyes at him. 

After she finished breakfast, a simple bowl of cereal, she went to get ready for work. She didn’t know how she’d deal with it today, considering the amount of pain she was in. But she sucked it up. Nobody else’s fault but her own, she got her own ass kicked. She had to deal with the consequences. The moment she walked into the store, Haseul noticed her. 

Frowning immediately at the sight of Jungeun hunched over and grimacing. “I’m going to assume you didn’t get your back blown out the way you were expecting it to.” She joked, receiving a resentful glare in her direction.

“Sorry. But you do look horrible.” She pointed out. 

“Gee thanks.” Jungeun said sarcastically, ignoring anything else she had to say. She purposely worked in the back that day, receiving orders and doing paperwork. She was able to sit down most of it, standing up to stretch every so often. 

And when her shift was over, she still couldn’t stand properly. “Do you need a ride home?” Haseul insisted, and Jiwoo just gave a worried look.

“No— I’m fine.” She stubbornly said. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” As badly as she wanted to just keep on going when she realized she was in the vicinity of the gym again, she ended up stopping in front of it. Looking inside and seeing Sooyoung laughing and smiling with Jinsoul. The gym seemed a little emptier today, but she was still too caught up in her ways to go inside right now. And just as she walked off, Sooyoung spotted her, her smile quickly fading away as she noticed Jungeun was stepping away.

_They always come back._

Regardless of the fact she just met Jungeun not even 4 days ago, she had strong faith in her. She could see the potential in her, even though she flopped horribly when she gave her a chance to shine. Although she already knew Jungeun wouldn’t win, it was just to humble her. Make her realize it wouldn’t be easy to just run in here and take the money from other trained fighters. 

Jungeun didn’t take it as a lesson though. She took it as an ass whooping, and refused to swallow her pride and just come back to finish what she started. A whole week had passed now, and Jinsoul was sure the brunette wouldn’t be coming back. “You scared her off completely.” Jinsoul reminded the taller girl. 

“Unfortunate.” She simply said, and although her tone was nonchalant, she was really hoping Jungeun would return. But she didn’t. 

She stood inside of the ring, hands up while the boxer punched the focus mitts. “Two left.” She commanded, feeling the force of the punches against the mitt. She nodded her head, smiling at the perfect combos she had taught the girl. “Uppercut.” She commanded. “Again.” And the sounds of boxers hitting the bags and lifting weights rang throughout the gym.

Jinsoul relaxed at the front desk, magazine in hand when she heard the front door close. She stood up, and was shocked to see who it was. It was Jungeun, her hair on one side as she sported a grey hoodie and jeans. “Sooyoung!” Jinsoul called, and the girl stopped after the boxer finished the hit combo. When she looked up, her heart skipped a beat. Why was she so damn excited to see this girl? Was it because she was right? 

They truly always come back. 

She took off the mitts and walked over to the girl, looking down at her. And she didn’t know why she was just taking in how pretty Jungeun was. Probably because this was the first time she was actually this close to her, and had enough time to take in what was in front of her. “Train me.” Jungeun simply said. “Do whatever it takes to get me that prize.” She pointed at the sign once again, Sooyoung following where she pointed. 

“You’re aware of what you’re getting yourself into right?” Sooyoung questioned. “You have no fighting experience. Which means I’ll have to train you from the ground up. You’ll fight other experienced fighters to make it up in the ranks.” She informed, and Jungeun nodded. 

“You’ll train day in, and day out, for the next few months. It will be _tough_. And it’ll be _grueling_.” She warned. “So I’m asking you again, are you aware of what you’re getting yourself into?” She eyed Jungeun intensely, and the girl didn’t back down. She may have been the only person that didn’t falter when Sooyoung was staring them down. And she didn’t know why that made her so weak in the knees. 

“I’m aware. I’m ready.” She simply replied. “I’m ready.” She repeated, and Sooyoung nodded, forcing herself to keep the eye contact they had going. Jinsoul cleared her throat, getting Sooyoung’s attention. She waved the clipboard at her, and Sooyoung walked over to grab it. 

“Finish your application. The membership is paid in full.” She informed, and for a second, she saw Jungeun’s eyes shine. 

“Thank you…” She said softly, and Sooyoung just smiled. It took Jungeun less than an hour to sign up. 

“I’ll figure out something so it doesn’t interfere with your work schedule so much, but I can’t make any promises… I’ll be in contact with you soon. Welcome to the team.” She smiled, reaching a hand out to Jungeun confidently. She looked down at it for a moment, before slowly shaking it. 

Sooyoung felt an unfamiliar feeling in her body at Jungeun’s touch. Her hand was so soft, and the shake was so brief that Sooyoung almost considered shaking her hand again. If she could rewind time, she would definitely leave her hand there a little longer. As Jungeun left, Sooyoung stood still in her spot. “Bye!” She awkwardly waved, shaking her head when the girl just gave a small smile in her direction. 

Sooyoung didn’t understand why she was so intrigued by the other girl. Still standing in the same spot she was in even moments after. “Welcome to the team.” Jinsoul mocked playfully, making Sooyoung’s cheeks red. 

“Stop it.” Sooyoung warned with a slight smile, walking away.

“Oh no! Wait— don’t go… I want to hold your hand.” She teased again, saying the words dramatically and reaching her hand out to Sooyoung.

“Knock it off.” Sooyoung smiled uncontrollably. It wasn’t anything serious. She was genuinely just stunned by Jungeun’s beauty. That was normal right? Girls were pretty. That wasn’t new information. She was still put in a daze whenever she encountered one, however. 

When Sooyoung called Jungeun on the phone the next day, she set up a schedule with the girl. Smiling the entire time as she listened to Jungeun’s voice. She couldn’t keep herself from smiling, no matter how hard she tried. They agreed to see each other Monday-Friday. The schedule was intense because Jungeun had no training whatsoever. 

She explained down the line, that the days will decrease. “Okay… so I’ll see you tomorrow?” Jungeun asked. She just wanted some confirmation, and Sooyoung tried to calmly say yes without sounding too excited. 

“Yes. Tomorrow. Bye Jungeun.” She said, hearing the call end. She sat in her office, working on a plan for Jungeun’s training. It took her a while, not leaving the gym until about 3 in the morning. She locked up the place and headed home. 

Jungeun was awake early the next morning, as always, taking care of her siblings. Lunch prepared for them as they ate a small breakfast. Her mother walked into the kitchen, horribly hungover from the night before. The kids ignoring her presence as she walked over to the fridge. She groaned when she noticed she was out of beer. “Jungeun— can you buy me an 8 pack on your way home later?” 

And as badly as she wanted to say no. She never found the courage to. She ruffled Lucas’ hair as she walked out of the kitchen, and he slowly fixed it back once she was gone. Yerim just frowned as she looked into her now empty bowl. “Come on. You guys are going to be late.” Jungeun suddenly said, grabbing the bowls and putting them into the sink. 

Jungeun was confused when Lucas stayed behind as Yerim walked to the front door. He had to look down at his older sister. “Are you— actually going to buy her it?” He questioned, and he could see the frustration in her eyes. 

“I have to… she’ll just go and do it herself anyway.” She answered sadly, and he lowered his head.

“I love you… I feel like I don’t tell you enough.” He said, nervously playing with his fingers as he waited for Jungeun’s response.

“I know you do. You don’t have to tell me.. go on.” She smiled, turning him around in the direction of the front door. “Do well okay?” 

As he smiled one last time, Jungeun felt her heart sinking when they left. She wanted to just stay home and cry. But she couldn’t. She had to stay strong for them. Not for her mom. But her siblings needed her more than anything. At times she felt like giving up, but she would have nightmares where her siblings had nobody to take care of them. They would fall apart without her. She loved them so dearly, that even when her frustration and will to live was completely eating her alive, she kept going. For them.

The cycle repeats. 

The store wasn’t really busy today, so Jungeun sat to the side, playing around with one of the guitars. Jiwoo silently watched her from her spot at the register. “It’s nice to see her relaxed like this..” She said quietly to Haseul, who eventually joined her in watching the girl. 

“I didn’t even know she could play guitar.” Haseul admitted and Jiwoo smiled brightly.

“She taught herself… when we were kids. I would sing, she would play the guitar.. things were a lot simpler back then.” She explained. “Now— you can’t get a single thing out of her. So when she does this, I just.. relax. Listen. Take it all in, ya know?” 

“I understand.” Haseul nodded, watching how intrigued Jiwoo was by the other girl. Her attention being grasped by an arriving customer. Jungeun quickly put the guitar back, moving to help him before Haseul could even make a move. 

After she helped the customer pick out a violin, she was on her way out. “See you girls tomorrow.” Jungeun waved, throwing her duffle bag over her shoulder. 

She made her way to the gym, the moment she stepped in she finally felt her nerves getting to her. Although there wasn’t much to be nervous about. Maybe she was excited, she just didn’t know how to process it. Sooyoung was busy sparring with someone in the ring, so Jungeun walked up to the desk where Jinsoul sat. “Hey..” She said quietly, getting the girl’s attention. She flashed her a bright smile and stood up.

“Hey— here for your training?” She questioned, and Jungeun nodded. Jinsoul just gave her another welcoming smile. She could already tell the girl was nervous. “Locker rooms are right over there.” She pointed, watching as Jungeun followed her directions. 

“And don’t be nervous. Sooyoung is really nice. If that’s what you’re worried about.” She reassured, her smile not even faltering when Jungeun gave her a bland “Thanks”. 

She walked to the locker rooms, and she could hear the water running in one of the showers there. It was thankfully not really crowded, so Jungeun quickly changed into more comfortable clothes. A regular tank top with some shorts. As she put her hair into a ponytail, the water stopped running. She’d be out of there soon anyway. 

The girl walked over to the area Jungeun was in, a towel still wrapped around her. Standing just a little taller than Jungeun. “Oh— Hi. I didn’t know there was someone else here.” She said, and Jungeun just gave a weak smile in her direction.

“I’m Sana.” She introduced cheerily. “And I’m assuming you’re a new member… so I’ll be seeing you quite often.” 

“So it seems.” She replied blandly, not even introducing herself. “I like the pink hair though.” She complimented, before leaving the locker room completely. Sooyoung was drinking water when Jungeun stepped out, and the girl walked over to her. When she spotted Jungeun, she felt the world stop for a moment. 

She wasn’t even wearing anything extraordinary, but the ponytail just looked good on her. She was glad she came to her senses before Jungeun was directly in front of her. She didn’t want to look like a fool. “I assume you’re ready.” 

“I like to just chill in gym attire.” She said sarcastically, and Sooyoung smirked at her.

“Feisty. I like it.” She smiled. “Come with me.” 

Jungeun followed the taller girl throughout the gym, passing multiple sections. One area she passed by had tons of people lifting weights. Another area had treadmills. But Sooyoung took her to a spot where it was just simple wooden floors. She grabbed a jump rope off the wall, and turned back to Jungeun, handing it to her.

“What? What is this? Shouldn’t I be punching shit?” She questioned, eyeing the taller girl in disbelief.

“Let’s get down to the basics first. You saw what happened last time you went around punching shit. Right?” She said cockily. “This is just a warm up. 10 minutes of jump roping. 10 minutes of jumping jacks.” She explained.

“Go.” She said, starting the timer. She watched Jungeun carefully as she slowly started. It was going well, Sooyoung wasn’t satisfied though. “Pick up the pace.” She ordered, and Jungeun had to fight her stubbornness for a second. Sooyoung nodded her head up and down when Jungeun listened to her. 

She definitely needed to start working out. She felt her body getting tired already, and she still had about 15 minutes of this. Sooyoung stopped the timer, grabbing the jump rope. “Good. Now, jumping jacks. Count them.” She said, and Jungeun got into position.

“Go.” 

Sooyoung paced back and forth as the girl did her jumping jacks, eyeing her carefully. Jungeun was very out of shape, despite her slim figure. Sooyoung could tell. She was 5 minutes in and struggling to get to 50. “Keep going.” 

“I’m tired.” Jungeun complained.

“I don’t care. Keep going. 3 minutes left. Count them.” 

And Jungeun rolled her eyes, starting up again as her head bobbed lazily around. “32. 33. 34.” She counted, and Sooyoung listened carefully.

When the timer went off, Jungeun nearly fell to the floor. But she didn’t, instead leaning over with her hands resting on her knees. Panting heavily as Sooyoung stood over her. “50 jumping jacks in 10 minutes…” Sooyoung pointed out. “Horrible. But you’ll get better.” 

“You have, 6 months, to be prepared to win this championship fight.” Sooyoung reminded. “You’ll be working, very hard. Seeing as though you have— no experience in anything.” Jungeun rolled her eyes.

“Can you just teach me already?” 

“The basics. Simple. Eye coordination, building muscle, flexibility, stamina.” She explained. “Everyday that you come here. We’ll work on your stamina. 20 minutes warming up. 20 minutes running. Once I’m able to see that you’re capable of standing on two legs for longer than 5 minutes. Then you can punch shit.” 

Jungeun’s face scrunched up at her words. “How long will that be?”

“You tell me.” She snapped back. “Follow me.” She followed the girl back through the gym, going into the area where the treadmills were. A good amount of them were occupied, but Sooyoung took Jungeun to a section that nobody was using. She gestured for Jungeun to step on it. 

“Every 10 minutes. I’ll up the speed.” 

“Every 10?” Jungeun questioned annoyingly, and Sooyoung just let out a breath chuckle.

“We need to work on your patience too. Start.” She said, pressing the button and making Jungeun walk. “This is pretty simple. It’s like a walk in the park. You're just casually walking with a friend, chatting and enjoying the breeze. Simple.” Sooyoung smiled, standing on the treadmill beside her. 

She started it, walking on the treadmill alongside Jungeun. “So— maybe we should get to know each other on this stroll.” Sooyoung suggested, and Jungeun laughed sarcastically.

“I think I’ll pass on that one.” She shook her head.

Sooyoung wasn’t hurt by it. If anything it just made her laugh. Jungeun was so difficult, and she hated how intriguing it made her. It just made her want to keep trying. “Fine— I’m Sooyoung. Next month, I’ll be turning 24. I’m from Busan. I have an older sister, 2 brothers. One older and one younger. My parents are divorced, but still on good terms. And I like the color burgundy.” 

“Burgundy is a shade, not a color.” Jungeun replied. “So red would be your favorite color. You just prefer a darker shade of it.” 

“How should I trust that you’re right about that?” 

“I’m not asking you to trust me. I’m telling you a fact.” She simply replied. 

“Okay then.” Sooyoung sighed. Definitely difficult. 

After the first 10 minutes, Sooyoung bumped up the speed by two. So now, Jungeun wasn’t simply just walking in place, she was jogging slightly. Sooyoung’s speed stayed the same as she stepped back on hers and watched the shorter girl. 

“Remember to breathe.” She advised, and although Jungeun was annoyed by her, for some reason. She listened, realizing she wasn’t really breathing like she should have. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction though. So she didn’t outright acknowledge her. 

She could feel herself getting tired, but she wouldn’t let Sooyoung see that. It seemed 10 minutes would go by faster whenever the speed went up. Probably because she was so focused on not tripping and falling to her death. At this point, she was nearly on the highest setting, running hard on the treadmill and feeling her legs burning horribly. 

But she wouldn’t give in, no matter how badly she wanted to. Her pride not allowing it. She could see Sooyoung looking at her timer from the corner of her eye, and she silently prayed that it would be over soon. “Doing good. 4 minutes left.” She informed, and that was almost the best news Jungeun had ever heard. So she sucked it up, running hard in place as the fan from the treadmill attempted to cool her down. She could feel the sweat forming on her body and on her forehead. 

She felt like any second now her legs would give out. “Done.” Sooyoung said proudly, lowering the speed slowly so it didn’t throw the poor girl off. The moment it completely stopped, Jungeun stepped off and fell to the floor. Her legs felt like jelly, and she honestly wanted to just stay there. Sooyoung laughed and put a hand out to help her, but she rejected it, shakily standing up on her own. 

“You look tired.” Sooyoung pointed out, ignoring the fact Jungeun didn’t let her help her off the floor. 

She didn’t reply to that sentence though. “What’s next?” She questioned, using all her strength to walk properly and not like a toddler taking their first steps. She just followed behind Sooyoung carefully. 

“Now— you stretch.” Sooyoung announced, walking onto the mats and grabbing a cold water from Jinsoul. She handed it to Jungeun, watching as the girl quickly opened it and drank. “It’s good to stretch those muscles. Especially ones that you don’t use often.” Sooyoung informed, standing in front of Jungeun. 

“Right arm.” She said, stretching it to the left and having Jungeun follow. She kept going until they eventually were stretching their legs forward. “Good job. You seem to be pretty flexible already.” 

“For the most part..” She admitted, and Sooyoung nodded. After they did some stretches, she lied down onto her stomach, gesturing for Jungeun to follow.

“Push-ups. When you do them, you want to make sure when you lift— your arm is straight. That is how you properly do it. And then.. you lower yourself down.” She explained.

“I know how to do push-ups.” Jungeun scoffed.

“But do you know how to do them properly?” She asked, getting into position. “When I go down, you follow. When I go up, you follow. Got it?” Jungeun nodded.

“What’s the time limit?” She questioned, and Sooyoung almost laughed. She already knew Jungeun was going to outdo her. 

“There isn’t one. We go until one of us gets tired. Stamina. Muscle. Let’s go.” Sooyoung started in the down position, and then gradually lifted herself up. Jungeun followed, and at first it was easy.

But by the time they got to just 10, her arms were burning. But she refused to show it. She somehow kept up with Sooyoung as she easily lifted herself up and down off the mat. 

“15.” She counted out, staring directly into Jungeun’s eyes as they moved in unison. The eye contact was a bit too intense for Jungeun. But she also couldn’t look away. Sooyoung’s eyes were so brown and captivating. Not to mention how pretty her skin was. Jungeun felt her arms nearly give out just from staring too long.

She focused once she realized what was happening. 

No. 

She wouldn’t let Sooyoung get into her head. No matter how annoyingly attractive she was. And no matter how pretty those eyes were, and how nice her body was. She wouldn’t allow it. They were at about 34 now when Jungeun fell onto the mat. She gave it her all, and Sooyoung was genuinely impressed. She expected her to give up awhile ago. Even she was feeling a little tired, she sat back onto her knees and watched as Jungeun breathed heavily on her back. 

“34. I’m impressed. Maybe soon we’ll get you to 50.” She smiled, standing up. Although it didn’t seem like it, they had been exercising for nearly 4 hours now. 

Jungeun sat up against the wall, downing the water hungrily. Sooyoung handed her a towel, seeing the sweat on her forehead and slowly falling down her cheek. She looked breathtaking, Sooyoung had to rip her eyes away and look somewhere else. Jungeun eagerly watched the two men in the ring sparring, wondering when she’d get her turn. She definitely had to work harder for it. 

“Last hour. We can take it a little easy. Just for this week. After this, no breaks. And no going easy on you. Got it?” 

And surprisingly, Jungeun complied. “Flexibility, is very important.” Sooyoung said, walking back onto the mat. She sat down, slowly spreading her legs until she couldn’t anymore. And then slowly stretching and placing her hand onto her toes.

“Mma is, a variety of things. I want you to decide which one you want to specialize in. Do some research. Next week, we will go over the basics of your specialization. This week, we focus on your stamina and your flexibility.” She layed out the plan for the shorter girl. “The first month or two of your training will be annoying, and repetitive, and grueling. But it must be done. It helps build your body and prepare it for what it's about to be put through. So be _patient_.” She advised, slowly moving beside Jungeun.

“Spread your legs.” She ordered, and Jungeun became flustered at the sudden demand. But she did as she was told. “Touch your toes.” 

Jungeun reached, straining just a little. “Remember to breathe, and relax. Don’t force anything. Slowly work your way up to it.” She advised. The brunette listened carefully, slowly stretching her arm until her fingertips reached her toes, and held her position there.

“Perfect. That’s perfect.” Sooyoung applauded. “Keep holding that for another 30 seconds. And then switch okay?” 

When the minute was up, she switched to the other leg. “Good. Now—“ She got behind the girl, pushing down onto her back. 

“Keep your legs spread, hands out in front of you and bend over.” Jungeun did just that, and oddly enough, this didn’t hurt as much as the other stretching. When Sooyoung removed her hands from her back, she slowly rose up, feeling her back tighten slightly. 

“There’s about 40 minutes left in your session.. you can go on the treadmill or you can cycle for the remainder of it.” She suggested, and Jungeun figured she’d go with something she hadn’t done yet. So Sooyoung showed her how to operate the bikes and left her alone for the time being. She walked up to the desk where Jinsoul sat, seeing that smile on her face already.

“Don’t even start.” Sooyoung warned, hearing a cute giggle come from her. 

“How was the first session?”

“Not too bad… she’s very— stubborn, impatient, a little bossy.” She said, and Jinsoul raised an eyebrow up at her. 

“Got anything good to say?” 

Sooyoung laughed, shaking her head and trying to hide her blush. “She’s a quick learner. Very competitive, determined. She doesn’t give up too easily. It’s very respectable. I think she’ll be a great fighter.” She complimented the brunette. 

Although she wanted to say other things. Like talk about how pretty Jungeun was. She never really smiled, but when she gave a weak one you could see her cute dimples. How soothing her voice was despite the way she used it against Sooyoung. Usually for snarky, sarcastic comebacks. 

But when she spoke about something normal, she was sure she’d get lost in every word she said. Sooyoung wasn’t sure if she preferred the latter. She had to stay focused. That was the goal. Train Jungeun. Not fawn over her. 

But god, she just wanted to talk about her ear piercings, how attractive they were. How pretty her side profile was, and how good she looked with that ponytail in her hair. If only Jungeun knew just how pretty _her_ eyes were. Sooyoung nearly fell to the mat when they were staring at each other. Jungeun focusing directly on her, following her movements.

Within the last 10 minutes, Jungeun used it to change out of her gym clothes and back into her other clothes. She pulled her hair from its ponytail, running a hand through it and tossing her duffle bag over her shoulder once again. On her way out, she spotted Sooyoung chatting with Jinsoul, so she didn’t bother to interrupt. But it was almost as if the universe didn’t want her to go without saying bye to Sooyoung.

“See you tomorrow Jungeun!” She heard Sooyoung’s voice, and she turned around and waved subtly. And although Jungeun was long gone now, Sooyoung still stood in place thinking about her. She smiled to herself, and thankfully Jinsoul didn’t catch it this time. She didn’t know how much more teasing she could handle. 

It was pretty dark by the time Jungeun arrived home. She had to stop by the store to buy her mom alcohol. Knowing that if she didn’t, she wouldn’t hear the end of it. She’d much rather get it than have her mother being an embarrassment at the store, drunk. 

When she got home, her mother was passed out on the couch. The house smelled of beer, it made Jungeun want to gag. She slowly walked to the kitchen, not wanting to wake the woman. She didn’t have the energy to deal with her today. She slowly crept up the steps once she put the beer in the fridge, checking on her brother first. He was sitting on the bed, headphones on his head with his eyes closed. Jungeun walked over and sat at the side of his bed, and he opened his eyes. He immediately took the headphones off and paused his music.

“You’re just now getting home?” He questioned, checking the time.

“Yeah— but don’t tell mom.. I just had to do something.” She told him, and he nodded.

“Not like I’d tell her anything anyway. She wouldn’t even remember it the next day.” He sighed sadly. “How was work today?” 

“Long.” She answered truthfully.

“School?”

“Long.” He repeated, making her laugh softly. She just eyed her brother, seeing the innocence in his eyes. And then suddenly he was hugging her tightly, and her hand was just awkwardly hovering, until she placed it on his back. “I love you. I hope you know that.” He reassured, and Jungeun leaned against his shoulder.

“I do know.” She smiled softly, removing herself from the hug and standing up. “And I love you too.” She finally said, seeing Lucas’ eyes light up. 

“Go to sleep soon okay?” 

“Yeah…” He smiled. “Also you smell.” He teased, and Jungeun playfully took off her shoe and threatened to hit him with it. His laugh was infectious, making her laugh along with him.

She shut his room door, going to check on Yerim now. The second she opened the door she noticed the girl was fast asleep at her desk. So Jungeun softly shook her, waking the girl from her sleep. “Jungeun? Where have you been?”

“Don’t worry about it.. did you finish your work?”

Yerim shook her head. “I was so tired.. I fell asleep. But I’ll finish it. I promise.” 

Jungeun smiled. “I’ll help you.” And for the next hour she helped Yerim with her homework, tucking her into bed once she finished. She checked on her mom one last time before bed, but she hadn’t moved from her spot on the couch, which confirmed she was out for the night. Jungeun just sighed. That was all she could really do. Just sigh and keep it moving. 

She showered, feeling a lot better after working out that day. She sweated a lot more than she usually did, for obvious reasons. Her bed was comfortable for once, but that was probably because she had such a long day. She was finally able to rest her muscles and prepare for another day of it all. 

She didn’t expect her body to hurt the way it did that morning. She even had to call in to let them know she’d be late. Jungeun could barely move, and there was yet another day of her slouched over as she walked into the kitchen. Her brother teasing her and Yerim laughing along with it. He did it out of love though. He even suggested a few remedies for it.

He knew how annoying sore muscles were, because he’d play basketball in his free time, usually leaving him sore the next day. Somehow, she was feeling a little better around her next session with Sooyoung. They basically did the same things they did the day before, and that repeated throughout the week.

Repetition. 

Patience.

Jungeun had to keep reminding herself. She also watched videos and did research whenever she had the chance. Trying to narrow down her options. She seemed to really be into kickboxing. 

It was the last session of the week, and she was finally free from not only this, but work as well. They were on the treadmill again, and Sooyoung surprisingly kept her mouth shut. The only thing she’d say is the time left, or if she was letting Jungeun know she was upping the speed. So it was a bit of a shock when it was Jungeun who initiated conversation.

She jogged in place, looking over and seeing Sooyoung looking down at the timer. “I’m Jungeun.” She said shyly, getting Sooyoung’s attention. The girl quickly looked up at the sound of Jungeun’s sweet voice. 

“I turned 20 years old, 3 months ago. I’m not from Busan. I’m from Seoul. I have 1 brother, 1 sister. Both younger than me.” She managed to say, despite jogging and feeling herself becoming tired. “My parents are... very divorced. And I like the color red. Like the actual color. Not a shade.” 

Sooyoung was stunned that she actually, _spoke_ to her. And not in her usual sarcastic manner, but it was actually, normal. They didn’t exactly make eye contact, because Jungeun refused to look in her direction, but she smiled as she watched the side of her face. “Thank you… for sharing that.” Sooyoung softly said, and Jungeun nodded, waiting for her to up the speed again. 

And when she finished, she was handed some cold water. 

Push-ups were slowly getting easier for her. “30.” Sooyoung counted, eyeing her just like always. Making sure the girl was following her movements. In unison, they moved up and down, holding eye contact until Jungeun fell flat onto the mat. 

“50…” Sooyoung counted, resting back on her knees. “We’re getting there.” She smiled, standing up and helping Jungeun up as well. 

Jungeun’s training was going well so far. Despite the excruciating training, leaving her body sore for days. She was sure it’d be worth it, in the long run. It was nearing the end of the month now, and Sooyoung ended the last week of it going for jogs with the shorter girl. 

It was getting a little warmer outside, so they both wore light clothing. Jogging through the park, enjoying the scenery. Jungeun stopped eventually, standing still to catch her breath. Sooyoung stopped as well, smiling at the brunette. “Tired?”

“My legs burn.” She admitted and Sooyoung nodded, gesturing for her to sit down on the bench. 

“You move onto the next part of your training next week. Are you ready?” Sooyoung asked her, and for a moment, Jungeun wasn’t sure. This was already tiring, but she knew she needed the money in the long run.

She shielded her eyes from the sun. “Yeah… I think so.” 

“This is the hard part— I hope you tough it out. I see a lot of potential in you.” The taller girl admitted, smiling at Jungeun’s side profile. The shorter girl making it her mission to not turn even slightly. She knew she’d have those brown eyes staring back into hers. And she honestly could already practically feel Sooyoung burning holes in the side of her head. 

“I appreciate it.” Jungeun thanked, standing up. They finished their jog, and Sooyoung high fived the girl before she left. Feeling a jolt of electricity rush through her veins at the soft contact from Jungeun. She held her hand out, almost starstruck by the feeling of her soft hand against her own.

“I’ll see you next week..” Jungeun smiled shyly, leaving the gym and heading back home. Jinsoul decided not to tease the other girl, even when she still had that starstruck look on her face. 

“Time for the 2nd part of her training already? Time really does move fast.” Jinsoul pointed out, waiting patiently for a response from her stunned friend. 

“It does.” Sooyoung simply said. She wasn’t sure if she liked that or not. Time moving fast was good for her, because she was excited to get to the more fun part of the training. But time moving fast also meant Jungeun would eventually be gone. Especially after winning her prize, if she won it. Although she was very impressed by how straightforward she was about it. She knew what she was here for, and she didn’t attempt to sugarcoat it at all. 

Jungeun was granted a day off, and she was actually going to just stay in and sleep. But it was no use, she wouldn’t get any rest with her mother in the same house as her anyway. She also figured, if she went to the gym earlier, she’d have more time to spend with her siblings. 

So she made her way there, duffle bag over her shoulder when she stepped in. Instead of Jinsoul at the front desk, it was Mark this time. His eyes lit up at the sight of Jungeun arriving, immediately giving her a bright smile and wave. She smiled back, slowly walking to the locker room. Her eyes trained on Sooyoung in the ring as she sparred with someone else. 

She looked… _really_ good. Jungeun avoided staring any longer, instead quickly changing into her gym attire. Mark walked up to the ring, getting Sooyoung’s attention, cringing at the sound of the gloves connecting with skin. 

“Hey— your girl is here.” Mark said, getting Sooyoung’s attention. She ended the sparring, removing the sparring helmet and tossing it to the ground. Her appearance slightly rough from the match she participated in yesterday. She had a cut on her lip, and two pieces of white tape on her right eyebrow. 

She sat outside the ring, removing the tape slowly from her hands. Her own body sore from her fight yesterday. She won, but her opponent definitely got some good hits on her. When Jungeun stepped out from the locker room, she had to stop in her tracks for a moment. Taking in Sooyoung’s current appearance, and god she hated herself for the way she was feeling.

Her heart actually raced when Sooyoung looked up at her, smirking softly as she removed the tape from her wrists. It was as if everything was in slow motion when Sooyoung looked up at her. That smirk was dangerous, and Jungeun had to swallow the lump in her throat before walking over to the girl. 

“You’re here early today.” Sooyoung pointed out, handing the tape to Mark. “Wasn’t expecting any visitors just yet.” She smiled, standing dangerously close to Jungeun who nearly tripped over her words. Even though she was avoiding eye contact like her life depended on it, Sooyoung still eyed her. Taking in her features up close. The distance between them far too little for her to think properly. 

“I um… had a day off from work. So I just figured I’d drop in early today.” She explained. “But if you’re busy I can just come back later.” She quickly said, hearing Sooyoung chuckled lightheartedly.

“You think i’m going to turn you away, just because you came early? I don’t mind. If anything, I prefer this. More time with you.” She smiled. “To train.” She added, seeing the panic slowly rising in Jungeun’s eyes.

“Right.” The brunette responded shakily. Sooyoung’s appearance was just far too much for her right now. She _knows_ she shouldn’t find it attractive, seeing her wounds. But it just looked so good. It made her look so badass, compared to the soft appearance she had any other time, despite the exercising she would participate in. Not to mention the cocky smirk Sooyoung threw at her every chance she got. Almost as if she knew she looked alluring. 

It was unfair. But Jungeun needed to focus on anything that wasn’t Sooyoung right now. “So— ready when you are.” 

“So— today. We are moving into phase 2. Exciting right?” She laughed softly. “This… is sort of where you’ll be fighting. Mainly focusing on your balance, your hand-eye coordination, and your strength.” 

Sooyoung gestured for her to follow. “You told me you want to specialize in boxing and Muay Thai. Today, I’ll just give you a feel for everything.” She stopped walking, instead standing beside a punching bag. 

“I’m going to let you have a go at the bag. See your stance, and posture, and the way you deliver your hits. And then we’ll move from there. Okay?” Sooyoung said gently, and Jungeun nodded. 

She gently grabbed her hands and began wrapping them with tape. Jungeun sat still as Sooyoung did it, ignoring how gently her fingers grazed across her skin as she did such simple movements. “What exactly is this for?” Jungeun questioned. “I saw it come up quite a lot in my research.. but I don’t know the reason for it.” She said sincerely, and Sooyoung grabbed her other hand.

“It protects your hands from injury. Keeps your tissue and bones compressed when you hit things. Also helps put more force behind your hits.” She explained, gently wrapping Jungeun’s small hands. “Hands are very… delicate. It’s very easy to injure them when you fight, or even just hit the bag. Keeps the small bones from breaking, and keeps your wrist intact.” She smiled, tossing the tape aside. 

“Now— show me what you got.” She stepped back, and Jungeun nervously stood, feeling put on the spot. “Don’t be shy. Nobody here is going to judge you. We’ve all been here before. Show me your right jab.” She said gently.

Jungeun nodded, getting into a stance that would get her immediately knocked on her ass. But Sooyoung didn’t interfere just yet. She waited, watching as Jungeun threw a punch at the bag. The hit was powerful, but it wasn’t on target. She grazed the bag, nearly falling forward from the force she used. But still, Sooyoung didn’t interfere. 

She could tell Jungeun was getting a little more comfortable now, even throwing in a left jab. “Good— you have the strength, and the power. Now… we need to fix this stance, because someone would easily knock you on your ass.” Sooyoung chuckled, moving behind the girl. 

This was almost too intimate, the way Sooyoung’s hands rested on Jungeun’s waist and the way her front pushed up against her back. Her words hitting Jungeun’s ears immediately and sending chills down her spine. If Sooyoung wasn’t moving her forcefully right now, she was sure she’d be stuck in place otherwise. 

Sooyoung properly fixed her stance, keeping her fists held a little higher. And her skin was so damn soft, Sooyoung had to remind herself of the reason she was touching Jungeun in the first place. “Don’t want to give your opponent an easy shot at your face.” 

“Seems like you didn’t follow that rule.” She said playfully, getting a bright smile out of Sooyoung.

“Wow. That was mean.” She said, still dangerously close to Jungeun. She then used her foot to give some space between her legs and feet. “There— always protect your face. It’s a vulnerable area. Now, go again.” 

She didn’t understand why she was a little bummed out when Sooyoung moved away. Missing the warmth that radiated off of her already. “Stop it Jungeun.” She thought to herself, focusing on the task at hand. She kept the position Sooyoung put her in, throwing her punch forward and connecting with the bag. Not once, but twice, and eventually she was just getting the hang of it.

Sooyoung just watched with a smile on her face. She always saw potential in Jungeun. 

_”She’s a quick learner.”_

She remembered saying to Jinsoul weeks ago. It was true, despite how stubborn and how badly she wanted to be a know it all. She caught onto things quickly, it was no longer a shock to Sooyoung to see her exceeding in everything she did. 

“Good contact with the bag.” Sooyoung complimented. “Keep it up.” She clapped, watching Jungeun carefully. She fought the urge to watch the way her abs flexed with each movement she made. Jungeun worked hard on them, doing sit-ups every night before bed despite how tired and sore she was. It became a daily thing for her. She was determined, and she actually liked the way they looked on her.

She’d often stop and just look at herself in the mirror, seeing the progress from the exercise she had been doing. 

Sooyoung wasn’t lying when she said the training would be tough. Especially because things were so crammed for Jungeun. She had to attempt to master a skill that usually took _years_. She couldn’t even describe the anger she felt whenever she would end up on her back in the ring. Sooyoung encouraging her to get up and keep going. Even when it felt like she could hardly breathe. 

She considered giving up plenty of times. Her drive to take care of her family always overcoming her quitting nature. It was long after the gym closed one night, and Jungeun was training hard. After relentlessly pounding her fists into the bag all day, she was in the ring with Sooyoung. 

Tape wrapped around her hand and her fingerless gloves on as she stood in a corner of the ring. “Defend yourself.” She simply said, before hitting Jungeun upside the head slightly.

“What the fuck?”

“Come on. Fight back.” Sooyoung tempted her, guarding herself. Jungeun also got into stance, feeling herself get irritated whenever Sooyoung got in a hit on her. She wasn’t hitting her hard necessarily, but it was still irritating. 

Jungeun attempted to hit the taller girl, but she dodged it smoothly, smacking Jungeun’s hand away with such force it knocked her to the side. Sooyoung could see the fire in her eyes as she got back into position. “Don’t be afraid to move. Never stand still and give your opponent an easy shot.” Sooyoung said, hitting her aside the head again.

“Fuck off!” Jungeun said angrily, swinging recklessly at Sooyoung. She smacked each hit away, resulting in Jungeun literally attempting to tackle her at this point. And if it wasn’t for the rage in Jungeun’s eyes, Sooyoung would’ve felt a little too excited knowing Jungeun was practically straddling her right now. She had her flat against the mat, holding her wrists in place.

“Focus.” Sooyoung smiled, flipping them over and putting Jungeun in a headlock. The girl struggled to get out of it, twisting and turning and swinging at the girl that held her in place. “If you can’t handle it, tap out.” Sooyoung said. “No point in letting yourself get a serious injury. Especially if you’re stuck.”

“I’m not stuck.” Jungeun challenged, trying to pry Sooyoung off of her. But she was, and she didn’t want to admit it. Her pride way too big to fit in her tiny body. 

But it was no use, and she felt herself getting lightheaded at this point. “Always know your limit.” Sooyoung said to her, feeling Jungeun limply tap her hand against her forearm. Sooyoung quickly released her, and she could hear Jungeun literally gasping for air. 

“Your ego is too big. You need to know limits. You need to know when enough is enough. Losing is okay sometimes.” Sooyoung said to her softly.

“I’m tired of losing.” Jungeun said, slowly lifting herself and getting into position again. 

“Then win.” 

And Jungeun was back at it, swinging and finally connecting some of her hits. Sooyoung still blocked a majority of them, getting hit in her side every so often. But she took the shots, still standing tall as Jungeun tried her best to knock the girl off her feet. “Never let your opponent get into your head. Always stay focused.” She heard that calm voice again, making her even angrier. 

The sound of a fist connecting with her jaw rang throughout the gym, knocking Sooyoung back hard. She fell back onto her ass, immediately hopping back up and protecting her face. It hurt. _Badly_. But she was setting an example. “I left myself vulnerable there. That’s my fault.” 

Jungeun laughed, but it was full of pure anger. She must’ve been really frustrated, but it just egged Sooyoung on. Making her want to constantly get under the brunette’s skin and make her go harder. “But it won’t happen again.” She added, and Jungeun swung her right fist, immediately feeling Sooyoung grab it tightly in her own hand and slap her against the head again. 

She kept moving around, never letting herself stop for a moment. Seeing Jungeun’s face completely flushed from not only her exhaustion, but her frustration. It was adorable, and Sooyoung honestly wouldn’t have taken her serious if it weren’t for the force behind each of her punches and swings. She was trying so hard, and Sooyoung could see it. 

“Am I in your head?” She teased, moving around the ring calmly. “Come on— hit me. Or are you scared?”

“I’m not scared of you.” 

Sooyoung laughed. “I think you are. I think you’re scared because you know I won’t allow you to simply just hit me. I’m making you work for it. You’re scared that I’m going to come out on top.” 

Jungeun rolled her eyes, clenching her jaw tightly. “I’m not scared of you.” 

“Then fight me. And actually try. Hit me. I can take it.” Sooyoung encouraged. “Let’s start over.” 

And they walked to the middle again, getting into stance. Sooyoung waited patiently for Jungeun to take the first swing, which she did, and Sooyoung easily dodged it. Tripping Jungeun and making her fall hard onto her side. She groaned, slowly lifting herself back up with her elbows. 

“You’re trying too hard.” Jungeun was pissed off. 

“I’m not trying at all. If I were, you’d be laid out on this mat drooling like a baby already.” Sooyoung smiled, reaching a hand down to the brunette. She could see the wheels practically turning in Jungeun’s head. But instead of grabbing her hand, Jungeun lifted herself up.

“Keep going.” Jungeun said shakily, feeling her anger slowly getting the best of her. 

And Sooyoung followed, still blocking every swing that came her way. But she wasn’t swinging back, just dodging and blocking everything until Jungeun eventually decided to give up. Which didn’t happen for a while because her stubbornness really did overtake her entire mind. But Sooyoung admired it. How she never refused to just give up. To just never give the other person the satisfaction of feeling like they won against her. It was even worse when she was actually beaten.

And when Jungeun tired herself out, she fell down onto the mat. And Sooyoung followed slowly. “Your first fight is this weekend… are you ready?” She asked the girl as she downed some water. 

“I’d like to think that.” Jungeun sighed. Whatever got her closer to the money she desperately needed. Seeing Sooyoung in her current state relaxed her just a little, as much as she hated admitting that to herself. She was sweaty and trying to catch her breath as she sat on the mat across from her.

“Can I take you to get dinner?” 

Jungeun immediately looked over to the girl, who looked back at her with soft eyes. And for some reason, she almost, _almost_ agreed to it. “I can’t. I have to watch my siblings.” Was her response, and Sooyoung found that adorable, although she really wanted to spend more time with Jungeun. She couldn’t get upset at her for having to cater to her responsibilities.

“Can I at least drive you home?” 

But Jungeun was playing hard to get. Probably unintentionally, because that’s just how she was. But in Sooyoung’s eyes, she was being curved. But if anything it just made the brunette even more intriguing. She didn’t know why she was so fascinated by her, other than her looks. Her attitude was much different from the other people that stepped foot in this gym.

She was passionate, although at times she would lose her way, she still made it through. “No. I’ll be fine. Thanks for the offer though.” She said, standing up and leaving the ring. 

Jungeun walked by Mark as he walked over to Sooyoung. “Everything alright?” He asked, his eyes trained on Sooyoung as she watched Jungeun walk to the locker room.

“Yeah. After she leaves we can start locking up.” She stepped out, walking over to the main desk where Jinsoul usually resided. But she went home over an hour ago, leaving the other two to takeover for the rest of the evening. 

“How’s the training with her going?” 

Sooyoung smiled to herself. “She’s great. I’m really confident in her. I think she’ll do well this weekend.” After the amount of hours they put into training, she hoped Jungeun would at least take some of it into the ring. Mostly her temper, that she had been trying to help her keep under control. But there was only so much she could. 

“That anger that you feel? Put it into every punch that you throw. Every kick, and every opponent you slam onto the mat.” Sooyoung told her just over a week ago. 

She was looking over the sign in sheet when Jungeun walked past her, heading for the door.

“Offer still on the table. Last chance.” She said cutely, and Jungeun scoffed, although she had to keep facing the other way so Sooyoung couldn’t see her smiling. She turned around and walked backwards out of the door.

“See you tomorrow.” Jungeun simply said, leaving and walking off. Sooyoung shook her head, smiling to herself like a lovesick teenager. Mark just cringed slightly at the exchange he had to witness. It was obvious Sooyoung had a thing for Jungeun. 

“What was that?” He questioned and Sooyoung shook her head.

“Nothing.” She pushed the clipboard against his chest. “Start locking up.”

* * *

When Jungeun got home, she spotted Lucas sitting on the couch. Which was a rare sight, since their mother was always hogging it. He noticed her the second he heard the door close, standing up and walking over to her. “Don’t worry, she’s upstairs in her room for once.” He explained.

“Yerim is asleep too.” 

“Why aren’t you?” 

“I wanted to make sure you got home safe…” He smiled softly, and she pushed his hair back and lightly tapped his cheeks.

“Well… I’m safe. You can go to bed.” She said, walking past him slowly. Public transportation would be the death of her. She dropped her bag on the floor and sat at the kitchen table, pulling her hair from the ponytail she wore. Running her hands down her face and sighing. 

She jumped when she heard her brother’s voice again. “I.. know that I’m like your younger brother and stuff but— you can talk to me about your problems and stuff.. if you want.” He offered, and although the gesture was sweet, she kindly declined.

“Don’t worry about me. Go to bed okay? You have school in the morning. You know how mom gets when you’re late.” She said, her voice filled with sarcasm, making Lucas laugh.

“Yeah. I know. Goodnight Jungeun.” He said, leaving the kitchen and going up to his room. Now Jungeun was really alone, having a moment of peace and quiet. Her first fight was this weekend and although she was nervous she was also excited. She was excited to see what it was like to be in a ring, against a real opponent, with people watching. 

“You’re doing _what_?” Jiwoo questioned, seeing Jungeun trying to quiet her down.

“I’m going to be fighting this weekend.. and I want you guys to come.”

“Jungeun… you know I hate seeing things like that.” Jiwoo frowned and Jungeun nodded understandably. It could be a violent scene, something Jiwoo wasn’t a fan of. “But since I love you, I’ll come. And I’ll ask Haseul about it too.” Jungeun hugged her tightly and then quickly pulled away. Her excitement getting the best of her.

“Sorry... I’m just— really nervous!” She admitted. 

“Why for? You got this.” Jiwoo smiled reassuringly, gripping her shoulder before walking off to tend to a customer. Jungeun held Jiwoo’s words near and dear to her heart. The night of the fight, she made sure her siblings were fed and okay before she left. 

Haseul gave her a ride to the building where the fight was being held. It was the second round of the championship fights. Whoever won this round advanced to the next stage. They were the second pair to go. 

When Sooyoung spotted her she immediately guided her to the back. The back room full of staff and crew members. Jungeun’s heart was beating with anticipation. She could hear people outside already. “Are you nervous?” Sooyoung questioned, holding her hand gently and wrapping the tape around it. 

“A little.” 

“That’s okay.” She reassured. “But when you step in that ring, it’ll vanish eventually. Pace yourself, and stay focused.” Sooyoung spoke softly, not making eye contact with Jungeun as she focused on her task. Handing her the red gloves. 

“And remember it’s okay to lose…” 

“I hate losing.” Jungeun mumbled.

And Sooyoung looked up at her with her pretty brown eyes and nodded. “Then win.” 

When Jungeun was led out to the ring, she wore shorts and a sports bra. Her hands wrapped carefully by Sooyoung who rested her hand at her lower back as she guided her forward. “Remember what I told you.” Sooyoung whispered to her, watching as the girl stepped into the ring. 

Her opponent was just a little taller than her, but they seemed to be around the same weight. She also didn’t seem to have any maliciousness in her. As she walked over and wished Jungeun good luck. Her opponent, Jeon Heejin. 

The referee repeated the rules to them before starting. Each round was five minutes, and in between each round, there was a one minute resting period. No hair pulling, no grabbing shorts and holding gloves, no eye gouging, no head butting. No scratching and pinching, etcetera. 

When the round started, Jungeun could feel her confidence slightly wavering especially when Heejin outright attacked her. Striking at any opening she had. Sooyoung just watched from the sides. “Come on Jungeun.” She mumbled to herself. Her friends sitting in the crowd and watching.

“Why is she just taking all of it?” Jiwoo questioned and Haseul shrugged, waiting anxiously for Jungeun to make a move of some sort.

She blocked the hit that was coming straight at her face, but it was just coupled with a strike to her left side. Making her groan momentarily before she threw a punch back, knocking Heejin off of her for a second. She took this opportunity to breathe and get her while she was vulnerable. Hitting anywhere she could, ignoring the sounds of the crowd. The official pulled her off of Heejin when she had her backed into a corner. 

The girl getting her bearings back and moving towards Jungeun. Jungeun swung, and Heejin dodged it, hitting her hard across the jaw, making her drop to the floor. The taste of iron filling her mouth. The sound of the crowd cheering made her numb to it all, they were cheering because she got knocked down. But she wasn’t knocked out completely, just dazed. 

Heejin got onto the ground, punching at her face but only making contact with the back of Jungeun’s arms as she blocked each and every hit as best as she could. This position made her vulnerable, she could easily get knocked out right here. So she twisted and turned, trying her hardest to flip the situation around. 

While Heejin tried to hold her in place, using all of her weight to pin Jungeun down. But Jungeun managed to slip out from under her, kicking Heejin away and hitting her directly in the face. It knocked her onto her back, momentarily. But Jungeun had to remember this was competition, and nobody was going to go down easily. 

Heejin was about to unleash on her until they heard a ringing sound, indicating the round was over. Sooyoung immediately hopped into the ring, sitting Jungeun down and checking on her. She gave her some water and let her spit it out to rinse the blood. Tapping at the corner of her lip with a towel. “I haven’t found any weak spots for her just yet. But you’re doing a good job of defending yourself.” Sooyoung complimented, watching as the girl in front of her panted heavily.

“It seems to be tiring her out. So let her hit first, get her tired and then you strike.” Jungeun was trying to focus but it was really hard when you had someone as pretty as Sooyoung in front of you. Softly tapping the towel around her rosy lips and wiping the sweat from her forehead. She shook her head away from her grip when her mind started straying further. Blinking a few times to refocus and putting the mouth guard back in.

“You got this Jungeun!” Haseul shouted over the loud crowd. The 2nd round starting and Jungeun trying her best to ignore everything around her. Her mind filled with Sooyoung and distracting her. But instead of thinking about her pretty face and her tempting lips, she remembered her words. Telling her what to focus on and how to use it against her opponent.

So she did just that, letting Heejin tire herself out with each powerful swing she threw at Jungeun. Obviously wanting to lay her flat on her back for a win. The cute smile that was once on her face completely gone as she had fire in her eyes, swinging and moving around the ring. Jungeun kept her guard up, eyeing Heejin carefully and studying her every move. And the second she swung again, Jungeun took control. 

She dodged her swiftly, throwing her arms around the girl and picking her up to slam her back onto the ground. Although the impact knocked the air out of Heejin, she still tried to fight back, not wanting to leave herself vulnerable. But Jungeun put her into a headlock (the one Sooyoung taught her), holding her in it so tightly that Heejin felt her conscious slipping. 

She tried her hardest to pull Jungeun’s arms away, using all her strength to pry them off but it was useless. She was getting lightheaded now. “Come on Jungeun.” Sooyoung said to herself, seeing the two girls on the floor as she tightened the grip even more. Feeling Heejin tapping at her arm to give up.

Surprisingly, the crowd cheered for her. She released Heejin from her grip, watching as the girl lied onto the ground. She couldn’t believe she just got taken out so easily by a rookie fighter. But she also felt no bitterness towards the other girl. Sooyoung clapped for her, knowing Jungeun wasn’t too big on physical contact. So she kept her distance, smiling brightly at her. While her friends smiled too, running down towards the ring to get closer.

The referee lifted her hand up and announced her as the winner of tonight’s match.

Jungeun stepped out of the ring, holding a towel against her forehead and letting them hug her. Sooyoung just smiled and watched over them. She wished she could hug Jungeun too. “You did really well.” She heard Sooyoung say, getting not only Jungeun’s attention but her friends as well. They both looked at the taller girl, taking in just how stunning she was. 

Jiwoo smiled at her, immediately introducing herself. “I’m Jiwoo!” She shouted excitedly, and Sooyoung was taken aback for a second but she smiled back. Shaking the hand that she put out for her to grab. 

“Haseul.” The shorter one introduced, she was very pretty. And Sooyoung couldn’t help but smile at her as she walked forward. “I’m Jungeun’s friend.” 

“I can see that.” Sooyoung giggled. “I’ll be in the locker room.” She said to the girl, smirking slightly and walking off. They both turned back to Jungeun, who wasn’t even bothered by the encounter just now.

“If you told us your trainer was that attractive I would have agreed to come from the start!” Jiwoo said, making Jungeun scrunch her face up in disgust.

“Stop. Seriously.” She said to her, and Jiwoo rolled her eyes. “But I appreciate you guys coming.” Jungeun smiled, pulling them in for a hug again. They talked for a little longer before she went to the back. 

She was taking off the tape on her hands when she noticed someone standing in front of her. It was Sooyoung, and she had her hands in her pocket. She seemed a little nervous, and yet so confident. “I’m really proud of you.” She simply said, sitting beside Jungeun who went back to what she was previously doing. 

“Did you think I would lose? Be honest.” Jungeun teased, seeing the look in Sooyoung’s eyes change to panic. Making Jungeun laugh. The sound was so sweet and heartwarming, it made Sooyoung smile too, despite her racing heart. 

“Someone like you… I don’t think you’ll ever lose if you just… try. Don’t give up ya know?” Sooyoung smiled. “I assume your friends are waiting for you so I won’t hold you back any longer. That was a really good fight Jungeun.” She smiled, before making her way to the exit. But she stopped when she heard Jungeun speak.

“Wait—“ The fighter said, standing up slowly as Sooyoung turned to look at her. “Is that offer to take me to dinner still on the table?” 

And she could see that perfect smile painting itself onto Sooyoung’s features.

* * *

Jungeun let her friends know she’d be going somewhere with Sooyoung, so they didn’t have to wait around for her. They teased her, for obvious reasons. Although she assured them over and over again that it wasn’t anything like that. “Sure it isn’t…” Haseul teased, making the girl beside her laugh. Jungeun just rolled her eyes, telling them she’d see them on Monday. 

For Sooyoung, the drive was awkward. But mainly because she felt her brain stop working whenever she heard Jungeun’s voice, or whenever she saw her pretty side profile from the corner of her eye. Jungeun seemed relaxed, but then again, she was always that way. She tried to not let the world and situations around her get the best of her emotions. 

The past 10 years have prepared her for this moment. Not just from how she had to basically grow up at a young age to care for her siblings. And how she had to endure her mother’s verbal abuse throughout the years. It builds character. Maybe not in the way you should be built. But it does something. Everything has an affect on how you are as a person. 

But a simple moment like this, sitting in a car in silence wasn’t that big a deal to Jungeun. Probably because she wasn’t head over heels for the girl in the driver's seat. But Sooyoung was head over heels for her. So she overthinks everything. She felt a little better when Jungeun turned the radio up, because now she could finally breathe in peace. 

She just had to suffer in silence for about another 10 minutes before they arrived. A tiny diner on the side of the road. She pulled into the lot and parked, waiting patiently for Jungeun to step out of the car and follow her in. Jungeun noticed she made eye contact with someone behind the counter before sitting down. “I come here pretty often so I already know what I’m getting. You can take your time and decide what you want..” She said gently, sliding the menu over to her. 

Jungeun took her time looking over everything. She didn’t want to get anything she wouldn’t be able to finish, especially because she couldn’t exactly stay here long. “I’ll just get some fries.” She simply said, and although Sooyoung was concerned she just smiled and waved at someone. 

“Ready to order?” He asked, and Jungeun’s mind slowly drifted off as she watched Sooyoung speak. The way her lips moved and how concentrated she was whenever she looked back down at the menu. And how she licked the corner of her lips every so often. She was hypnotized by such a small thing, her mind screaming at her to stop staring. But she didn’t, so when she was caught in the act, biting down on her lip and seeing Sooyoung quirk an eyebrow up at her, she snapped out of her daze.

“Jungeun? Your order?” She repeated, the guy looking at her and waiting patiently. Her cheeks were flushed red as she looked down at the menu once more, shaking her head to rid the thoughts that raided her mind.

“Oh right… just fries and a coke will be fine.” She mumbled, handing him the menu. She noticed his name tag said Taeyang. He smiled and told them he’d be back shortly. Jungeun prayed Sooyoung didn’t catch onto what she was doing and how hard she was staring. But she felt a lot better to see Sooyoung quickly move onto something else.

“Just fries and a drink? Not hungry huh?” 

“N-no.. not really.” She lied. She’d just eat properly when she got home. “You said you come here often?” Jungeun switched the subject, and she could see how excited Sooyoung got when she asked that question.

“Yes! I love it here. But probably because it’s family owned…” She trailed off, just as she spotted her mother walking over to the table. “Uh oh..”

Jungeun didn’t understand why she was being that way, but when the woman stood at the end of their table she was even more confused now. She had to hold in her laugh when she heard Sooyoung call this lady her Mom. Sooyoung wasn’t exactly embarrassed, but she knew how her mom would react to her having a girl here with her. “We actually just came from a fight..” Sooyoung explained, and the woman looked over to Jungeun now.

“And you are?”

“This is Jungeun. I’m training her.” Sooyoung spoke for her, seeing how flustered the brunette was. 

“Wow— a pretty girl like you fighting? Well.. I sure hope you’re keeping your face protected. Sooyoung likes girls with pretty faces.” And the second she finished that sentence, Sooyoung jumped up in a panic.

“Mom— let’s go to the back and check on the food.” She smiled awkwardly, guiding her mother away from the table.

“It was nice meeting you!” She shouted to the girl, who sat at the table with a shocked look on her face. She didn’t know if she was flustered because of the situation itself, or the fact Sooyoung’s mother implied Jungeun was her type. When Sooyoung returned, she was helping her brother bring the food to the table. 

He awkwardly smiled as he placed it down. Knowing how embarrassed Sooyoung was right now. He tried to help diminish the tension in the air. “I hope you enjoy your food.” He smiled, walking off.

“I’m…. really sorry about that.” Sooyoung apologized, and her heart fluttered at the sound of Jungeun’s giggles. 

“It’s fine…” She smiled, grabbing a fry. “So family owned?” She questioned again, dipping it into ketchup. 

Sooyoung nodded, taking a bite of her sandwich. “For about 6 years now.” She informed. “My brothers work here too. My older brother Minho isn’t a full timer but Taeyang is. We’re about the same age. He’s the one that took our order.” Jungeun listened carefully.

“And your sister?”

“She doesn’t work here at all. Although she stops by whenever she’s in town. She’s in the fashion industry.” Sooyoung felt relieved talking about her family to someone. Jungeun seemed genuinely interested in her life. Or at least she was pretending she cared. 

Jungeun quickly changed the subject, after the topic of siblings. “How did your parents feel about the whole fighting thing?” 

“My mom didn’t like it too much. But my dad encouraged me, as well as my older brother. She preferred I got into like dance or art… but my dad told me to do what I want.” She smiled. “So here I am. I have my own gym, I’ve won numerous trophies and awards. And now I’m training you.” 

Jungeun shyly looked away, she hadn’t noticed that Sooyoung was looking directly into her eyes when she was speaking. Sooyoung was glad things worked out the way they did. If something had changed, who knows if she would have met Jungeun. The universe has a weird way of drawing out things. 

You go down a certain path and you don’t know if it’s faith or just pure luck that you ran into someone so amazing along the way. 

You start to wonder how different things would be if you made a different decision. Would you meet this same person? Would you meet someone like them? Would you even meet anyone at all? Sooyoung believed in faith. Usually when it worked in her favor. She liked to believe this was faith. The universe guided her this way so she could meet this girl in front of her. Someone she didn’t think would become so important to her.

“I see you’re done. I can take you home now… if you don’t mind.” She offered and Jungeun didn’t shoot it down this time. She agreed to it, and Sooyoung finished up her food before leaving out. Her brother waved at her as she left without even looking up. 

Sooyoung initiated conversation this time around, feeling a little more comfortable being in Jungeun’s presence alone. “I really do apologize for that… again.” She said awkwardly, and Jungeun just smiled.

“It’s fine. Your mom said you’re into pretty girls.” 

“She basically outed me to you yeah..” Sooyoung mentioned, hearing Jungeun laugh.

“I think you’ve outed yourself all on your own with the way you stare at me sometimes.” Her words cutting through the horrible tension in the air and making Sooyoung nearly swerve into the lane beside her. Jungeun said that as if it meant nothing to her. She was just simply pointing something out, but it flustered Sooyoung greatly.

“I’m just observant.”

“I’m sure you are.” Jungeun mocked, leaning her head against the window. “Thank you for dinner though.” 

Sooyoung didn’t reply, instead she just smiled softly at the girl before turning back to pay attention to the road. When she arrived home, they said their goodbyes and Jungeun quietly snuck into the house. Only to be faced with her brother sitting on the stairs waiting for her. “Lucas?” She whispered, looking at him and then back to the couch. Their mother sprawled out as usual.

“Where were you?” 

“Lucas I was out with a friend.” 

“A boy?” He questioned, sitting up straight and eyeing her carefully. He noticed a cut beside her lip, and stood up. Walking over to her and looking down at the shorter girl. 

“No. It was a girl… besides, I don’t have to answer to you. You know that right?” She questioned, moving around him to go upstairs. He followed closely behind. 

“I’m sorry… I just worry about you out there alone at night.” He apologized and Jungeun pulled him in for a hug. 

“I’m fine. I promise. Go to bed okay?” He left the room and left her alone. The events from today finally setting in for her. She won her first fight, which meant she was moving up to the second round. And before she knew it, she would be the champion. She’d win this money, and get them the fuck out of this place. 

More than anything she wanted to move them out of this area. Maybe her mother would sober up if she was away from something she became so familiar with. She would be sad to leave her friends behind, but anything was better than being here. She wanted the best for her siblings. The ones who held her together whenever she felt like just rolling over and giving up. 

Whenever she saw their faces, their smiles, and heard their voices. It motivated her to keep going, for them. And for her too. 

She planned to go into the gym that day, but instead she ended up dealing with a leak in the ceiling. The second she stepped out of her room she slipped into a puddle. Her back hitting the floor hard. She just lay there for a few moments before getting up. She had a training today, but she wasn’t sure she’d make it there. “Hey… I don’t think I can come in today..” 

Sooyoung heard from the other end of the call. She gestured for the person in front of her to wait a second, stepping away from the punching bags and over to somewhere quieter. She leaned against the wall. “Oh that’s fine.. is everything okay? Is it a transportation issue?” 

“No.. not really. I just— I have something to deal with at home.”

“Is it something I can help with?” She pushed further, not wanting to go a day without seeing Jungeun. She scolded herself for being so infatuated with her. But she couldn’t help herself. And to be fair, she kept things professional for the most part. 

Jungeun was too busy trying to inspect the ceiling to notice how determined Sooyoung was. “I just… I have this leak in my ceiling and I think if I don’t fix it now my entire 2nd floor is gonna be flooded.” She explained, feeling a drop of water hit the bridge of her nose. 

“I can help. I’ve fixed leaks before.” That was partly true. She didn’t necessarily fix any leaks, more like she watched her father and brother fix a leak or two. 

“Oh no.. I don’t want you to travel all the way here just for a leak.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be there soon okay? For now, try to make sure there’s no electrical cords or anything around that the water could get to.” She waited for Jungeun to give her the go ahead before hanging up. She went to her office and grabbed her things, making sure to stop by her parents house on the way over.

“Whoa— where are you going?” Mark questioned, feeling Sooyoung bump into him as he was on his way into the gym. It seemed like she was in a rush of some sort, and he watched as she quickly removed her hair from the ponytail she had it in. 

“Going to help a friend. Does my hair look okay?” 

“Why does your hair need to look okay to help a _friend_?” He questioned, giving her a look. “Are you sure it’s just a friend?”

“Yes Mark! Now answer the damn question.” She said sharply, glaring at him and fixing her clothing.

“Okay geez. You look great.” 

She smiled immediately. “Thank you. I’ll be back. Hold it down for me until then alright?” She gave him a pat on the back and walked out to her car. When she was gone Mark shook his head, walking over to the dark haired girl that relaxed behind the front counter. A pen in her mouth as she studied the crossword she was working on.

“Oh you’re here!” She said, taking her feet off of the desk and turning to him. “Sooyoung said she’d be back so don’t worry about that.”

“Yeah she said she was going to help a friend.” 

“More like help her crush..” Jinsoul mumbled, and Mark’s eyes quickly opened wider. He asked her to repeat the question but Jinsoul just giggled like a school girl, irritating him even more. “She’s just going to help a friend with a leak. She’ll be back soon, don’t worry about it. What you should be worrying about— is those two dudes about to fight over the last energy bar.” She pointed and Mark looked in the direction.

“Damn it.” He groaned, walking over to diffuse the confrontation.

* * *

As Sooyoung was on her way over to Jungeun’s house, she called her older brother. It took 5 tries to get him to pick up but when he finally did he was happy to hear from her. “Little sis?” He questioned. “What’s up! I haven’t seen you in a while.” 

“I was at the restaurant just yesterday, you weren’t there.” She explained, and she could hear him scoff.

“You always go when I'm not there. I’m starting to think you purposely avoid me..” He feigned offense.

“Now you know that’s a lie Minho.” She laughed. “I always want to see you.” 

“Yeah I know little one. What’s up?”

“Do you have any knowledge on how to fix a leak…?”

* * *

After purposely driving slow to get to Jungeun’s place, she finally had enough information from Minho and the tools from her parents to help. Jungeun waited patiently, standing on the ladder and pressing her hand against the crack in the ceiling. Using them to keep the water from falling. But it wasn’t working, instead it was just drenching not only her hair and her face, but the white shirt she wore. 

“Fixing leaks to get a girl? I’ve really seen it all.” Minho teased and Sooyoung tried her best to ignore how hot her cheeks became.

“I’m just… trying to help.” She defended.

“Sure you are… good luck Sooyoungie, and don’t forget to drain the leak!” Minho advised one last time before she hung up the call. She grabbed the toolbox from the backseat and walked up to Jungeun’s doorstep. She rang the doorbell first, but it didn’t work so she knocked. Jungeun immediately came off the ladder and down the steps. Thankfully she was home alone.

When the door opened she wasn’t surprised to see Jungeun, but rather surprised to see her current state. She was drenched from head to toe and her hair was stuck cutely to her forehead in some places. When her eyes traveled down lower she could see the way her shirt was sticking to her skin. She immediately looked away, clearing her throat. “Umm… leaky ceiling services has arrived.” She said jokingly, waving the toolbox around.

“It’s about time.” She teased, gesturing for Sooyoung to follow her up the stairs. “It’s a bit slippery up here so be careful.” She warned, showing her the leak.

“Oh. That isn’t too bad… I don’t understand why you’re so drenched from that.” 

“Well I have been standing there for quite some time.” She informed and Sooyoung understood. She stepped onto the ladder as well, asking Jungeun to hand her a screwdriver. Jungeun went to grab a bucket and a towel for the floor. Although it was a bit too late for the towel. But Sooyoung thanked her for trying anyway. Sooyoung punctured the ceiling with the screwdriver and the water came running out immediately. 

She nearly fell off the ladder but Jungeun kept her legs steady as the water drained from the ceiling and into the bucket and on the towel. She could hear Jungeun laughing from below, and Sooyoung’s face was scrunched up in disgust as her shirt became completely drenched as well. “I’ll just patch this up since the water is all gone for now.. but you’ll probably need to call a professional as their may be something wrong with the pipes or there’s a crack in the roof.” Sooyoung explained, stepping down.

“Thank you Sooyoung.” Jungeun said. Her tone a little nicer than usual. Just the sound of her voice making Sooyoung swoon all over again. She looked down shyly, putting the tools away.

“It’s no problem. Um.. do you want to come to the gym still?” She questioned, hoping Jungeun would say yes.

“Uh yeah. Sure. Let me just—“ She gestured to her wet clothing and Sooyoung understood immediately. While Jungeun changed her clothes, Sooyoung tried her best to find a mop downstairs in the kitchen. So she could clean up the water on the floor. But just as she was making her way back to the stairs, the front door opened. And she was faced with two people.

A very tall boy and a smaller, petite girl beside him. “Who are you?” He questioned, looking her up and down. Although he was younger than her, he was still quite intimidating because of his height. But then again, if he tried anything, Sooyoung could easily put him in his place. 

“I’m Jungeun’s friend.” 

“Jungeun has friends?” Yerim questioned from his side, and he gently pushed her back behind him. And Sooyoung praised the gods above when Jungeun made her way downstairs, adjusting her shirt and carrying her duffle bag.

“You know this girl?” Lucas immediately asked. 

“Yes..” Jungeun spoke quietly. “She’s my friend.” 

“Where are you going?” Lucas questioned, referring to the duffle bag. “Don’t tell me you’re selling drugs too…” He said, almost annoyed.

“What? No! No— I’m just her trainer. No drugs or anything over here.” Sooyoung immediately defended, not just for herself, but for Jungeun. 

Lucas immediately turned his attention back to her. “Trainer?” He looked between the two of them.

“Yeah… like. Fighting. Martial Arts.. trainer.” Sooyoung tried to explain, as he stepped closer.

And his glare slowly turned into a smile. “Well why didn’t you say so?!” He said excitedly, pulling Sooyoung into a hug. She originally didn’t hug back because it was so sudden. But when he let go she just looked at him with a troubled smile. “I’m Lucas. And That’s Yerim. We’re Jungeun’s younger sister and brother.” 

Sooyoung could see Jungeun mouthing “I’m sorry” to her from behind him, and she just kept a smile on her face regardless of the awkward situation. “I was just coming to fix a leak in the ceiling.”

“Oh a leak? Well— this house is falling apart at the seams.” He sighed. And Jungeun quickly grabbed the mop from Sooyoung and pushed it into Lucas’ hands.

“Clean the floor please and thank you. I’ll be home tonight and _please_ don’t tell mom about this.” 

“Not like she’d remember if we did anyway.” Yerim mumbled to herself.

“We can have pizza tonight okay? I promise I won't stay out long. And do your homework.” She eyed them both, before pushing Sooyoung out with her toolbox. She quickly walked to the car and sat inside. “I’m sorry about that… he’s just really overprotective of me.” 

“My brothers are the same don’t worry.” Sooyoung said calmly. When they returned to the gym, Mark laughed as he realized who Sooyoung went to help. Jinsoul was right when she said Sooyoung was head over heels for this girl. The two of them joked around and mocked the girl from afar as she focused her attention on Jungeun across the gym.

“You think she’s going to win this championship?” Jinsoul questioned, as they both watched her practice her punches in the ring. 

Mark smiled briefly before turning to her and scratching his head. “Uh… yeah. I think she can do it. Sooyoung is amazing and Jungeun seems to be a quick learner. I think they make a great pair. She has a pretty fair shot at this so..” 

Jinsoul nodded agreeingly as they both watched Sooyoung smiling brightly, as she looked over Jungeun practicing in the ring. It was very obvious at this point that Sooyoung really liked her. Jungeun’s feelings were very unclear though. She didn’t seem too interested, or at least she didn’t show it. 

“Left. Right.” Sooyoung instructed. “Dodge.” She watched as Jungeun dished out the combos she threw at her. Nodding her head in approval as she put force into each strike. “I’m not your opponent, take it easy.” Sooyoung smirked, getting back into position so Jungeun could hit the sparring gloves. 

30 fighters. 1 champion.

After Lucas found out about Jungeun becoming a fighter, he begged her to let them come to a fight. But she told them no. Not because it was violent and she didn’t want them to see her or her opponent get their ass kicked, but because the fights were usually late at night. Even though it was a weekend, she preferred they were home and safe. But she promised she’d let them come if she made it to the championship fight. 

“Someone has to watch mom when i’m not here.” Jungeun explained and although Lucas hated the sound of that, he and Yerim listened to their older sister.

“Does it hurt when you fight?” Yerim questioned, and Jungeun nodded. 

“A lot. But there’s too much adrenaline pumping to feel it much at that moment.” She laughed. “I usually feel it after or the next day depending on the seriousness of it… but I’ve only fought once so. We’ll see.” 

They were intrigued by what she was up to these days. Jungeun explained to them it was the reason she got home a little later these days, and they understood. Yerim made them all pinky promise to keep it a secret, and just like she promised, she got them pizza that night. 

And while Lucas slept peacefully, Jungeun went to check on her younger sister. Who lied underneath her blankets with a unicorn plushie under her arm. “Can’t sleep?” She asked, seeing Yerim smile sadly at her. She got into the twin sized bed with her, adjusting herself so Yerim could lay on her properly. And she softly patted her head. It wasn’t long before they were both fast asleep. 

She didn’t regret sleeping in Yerim’s bed last night but she did regret the position she slept in. Her back was aching from the sitting up position she fell asleep in. 

She didn’t even announce that she was going to the gym that day. “Oh— Jungeun?” Jinsoul questioned, standing up from her seat. “Sooyoung isn’t here right now.” 

“That’s okay.. I won't be here long.” She smiled, before going to the locker room and changing. She told herself she wouldn’t be there long, but she honestly lost track of time. Kicking and punching at the bag that hang from the ceiling. Correcting her stance and studying how easy it was to throw a powerful hit if she was standing properly. 3 hours had already passed, and she was in the locker room wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

Before leaving she waved goodbye to Jinsoul, knowing she wouldn’t see her for another few days. It was almost as if time purposely slowed down for this moment. The moment when Sooyoung stepped into the gym, nearly bumping into Jungeun. Who was making her way out. “Jungeun? What are you doing here?” She questioned, trying to keep her excitement contained. Although she was just a _little_ disappointed that she just missed her. 

“I just came to work on a few things. It’s nothing big don’t worry.” She reassured, and Sooyoung was proud. But she was more worried about how adorable she looked with her skin all flushed and the look of exhaustion. She just wanted to hug her. Or carry her home.

“Can I take you home?” Sooyoung asked quickly. And for the first time since they interacted, Jungeun’s first thought wasn’t a flat out no. 

“Um.. sure. If you want.” She answered. She was just so happy she didn’t have to ride the bus home. 

“It’s no problem.” Sooyoung softly smiled at her, and as Jungeun walked by she could feel her timidly guiding her with her hand on her lower back. She didn’t want to look too much into it. Sooyoung was just being polite as always. Or at least that’s what she told herself. 

Sooyoung played some music and she could tell Jungeun was tired so she didn’t speak much. “You should rest before your fight in 2 days.” The trainer suggested, just before Jungeun was about to get out of the car. “Practicing is good. But you don’t want to overexert yourself.” 

Jungeun shrugged. “I’m fine. I’ll be there tomorrow so we can go over the submission techniques again.” She shut the door, so tired she didn’t even realize she didn’t say goodbye. But Sooyoung didn’t take offense to it. Just smiling to herself as she watched Jungeun drag herself to the front door. The second it opened she saw her younger brother standing there, waiting for her with open arms. 

Sooyoung had a pretty good relationship with her siblings as well. But she didn’t live with them, so it was harder to be as close to them as Jungeun was to hers. Seeing how much the other girl cared for her siblings made her realize how she should put more effort into caring for hers.

“Come on. Just one day.” She begged her younger brother, who had his airpods in. Trying his hardest to ignore his sister's request. “Taeyang… I’ll buy you whatever you want to eat later.” He groaned.

“And tomorrow.” She added. “And an extra $100 to get whatever you want.” 

He jumped up immediately. “Keep the money, I’ll take the food though.” He said, turning off his music. Their mother returned from the kitchen and saw them standing beside each other. 

“Ah Sooyoung— you let your brother outgrow you.” She teased, looking at the height difference between the two.

“Mom…” She frowned, giving her a hug. “We’ll be hanging out for the day.” 

“Bonding time?”

“Sure.” Taeyang responded, feeling Sooyoung elbow him in the ribs and he immediately straightened up and smiled. “Can’t wait!” He said excitedly. And Sooyoung smiled alongside him. 

Jungeun was already on her way to the gym when Sooyoung left her parents place. She was hoping she made it there before Jungeun, but she didn’t. So Jungeun just started stretching, her headphones in as she touched the tip of her toe and held her position. Sooyoung finally arrived, looking around and not seeing Jungeun at first. “Beat her.” She mumbled to herself. 

But the second she got to the front desk, Mark looked up at her. “Your girlfriend is over there.” He immediately said, tilting his head to the left.

Taeyang removed his headphones, quirking an eyebrow up at his sister. “Girlfriend?” He questioned.

“W-what? No. I don’t have a girlfriend, don't listen to this idiot.” She panicked, hearing Mark laughing hysterically at the flustered look on her face. “Taeyang you can stay here for right now.” 

The two already knew each other, so it wasn’t awkward for them to be left alone. Sooyoung walked over to Jungeun, who didn’t even notice she was there since her eyes were closed. And her music was up pretty loud. Sooyoung was actually stunned by how pretty Jungeun looked. She was wearing a black t-shirt, black leggings and her hair was in a ponytail. 

A few strands left across her face. She didn’t want to interrupt her, she seemed peaceful. But before she could even walk away, Jungeun’s eyes opened and immediately locked with hers. And Sooyoung felt her confidence faltering the longer she stared. She removed her headphones and smiled softly at her. “That’s not creepy at all..” She teased, and Sooyoung immediately defended herself.

“I wasn’t watching you.” She said quickly, feeling embarrassed at how fast she said that. 

Jungeun stood up, the shirt she wore briefly rising up and showing her abs for a moment. Making Sooyoung sharply inhale and look away. She seriously needed to stop whatever her brain was doing to her right now. “Well— I didn’t exactly say you were. But from how red your cheeks are right now.. I’m going to assume you were.” 

Sooyoung shook her head. A girl had never had her this flustered and speechless. It was pretty ridiculous. She felt like a loser. Getting all shy over someone. It was usually the other way around. 

“She definitely likes her.” Taeyang suddenly agreed, going back on what he said before whilst him and Mark discussed it. The look on Sooyoung’s face right now gave it away. 

And while Jungeun had Sooyoung face down on the mat, she couldn’t help but laugh, despite the awkward position she had her arm in. A position, also known as an armbar submission, where she could easily pop her shoulder out of place if Sooyoung hadn’t tapped out. They tried 2 new submission techniques that day. 

One is known as the guillotine choke. With this move, you compress your opponents trachea, applying pressure to the neck. This technique wasn’t too easy. Sooyoung explained to Jungeun that she should never leave her neck open and vulnerable while attacking an opponent in a takedown. If someone executed this move well enough, you could be out of the match within seconds. 

The other was known as the armbar(Also used on Sooyoung moments ago). This move is used to isolate the elbow joint. It can be applied in many different positions and Sooyoung informed her it had a percentage of _16%_ in submissions for the MMA. With this move, if you execute it well, your opponent is forced to tap. And if they don’t… well, just know they won’t be using that arm the same way ever again. 

The submission she already learned about a month ago was called the rear naked choke. This one was taught to Jungeun previously because it was truly the easiest one to learn. This choke cuts off the blood supply to the opponents head, causing them to pass out quickly. It’s also very hard to power out of one. 

Sooyoung lied on the mat, staring up at the ceiling as Jungeun leaned against the ropes. Her head slowly turned to look at the girl beside her. “Are you ready for your next fight?” 

“You ask this every single time.” Jungeun replied, and Sooyoung sat up quickly.

“What’s wrong with that?” She questioned. “It’s just a simple question.”

“I am _always_ ready.” Jungeun simply said. 

And that she was.

* * *

It wasn’t until the night of the fight, Jungeun felt herself getting nervous. This venue was just a tiny bit bigger than the last one. It could seat about an extra 15 people at most. Compared to just the 40 like before. Sooyoung wore a jersey from her gym this time around. The black swan logo printed on the front of it. And the number 9 on the back. 

She looked really good in it. Jungeun ignored that though as she had Sooyoung wrapping her hands once again. Concentrating so hard that it was almost really cute. Actually, not even almost. It was very cute. So cute, that Jungeun felt her heart skip a beat. A very unfamiliar feeling for her. She was sure it stopped when her eyes locked with Sooyoung’s. The pretty brown chocolate cover staring back at her with a slanted smile. 

“All done.” Sooyoung said, and Jungeun put her gloves on. She could see Sooyoung talking to someone a little further away from her. She stood up, walking back and forth to calm her nerves. Punching at the air every so often. When she turned around, Sooyoung was standing there smiling at her. An open robe in her hands as she gestured for Jungeun to put it on.

“It’s a little colder in this venue.” She warned, and Jungeun shrugged.

“I don’t need that.” She said, shaking her head. And Sooyoung just sighed at her stubbornness. But she knew better. So she didn’t fight her on it. It was time for the fighters to come to the ring now, so they made their way out. The medical staff also coming out. 

Before she even got into the ring she took a look at everyone in the crowd. She was pretty happy she didn’t get performance anxiety. Her only fear was getting knocked on her ass in here with all of these people. Unaware of the fact that it was exactly what they wanted to happen. 

She got inside of the octagon, waiting anxiously for the person she was fighting to come out too. The crowd was excited for her, and extremely hyped. It made Jungeun feel small suddenly, but she tried her best to ignore it. When the girl stepped inside, she eyed Jungeun carefully as she rocked a silver robe and blue gloves. She had a sly smile on her face as she looked at the other girl. Who was shorter than she was.

The announcer introduced the fighters, starting with Jungeun first. Her ears tuning everything out except for her name. The forced claps evident. The other girl removed her robe, smiling before her name was even said. “And here in the blue corner, we have Kang Seulgi!” The announcer said loudly, making the crowd even louder than before. 

_Kang Seulgi_. 

Jungeun swallowed hard, and Sooyoung watched her anxiously. She could tell the crowd was already getting to Jungeun. She just prayed she didn’t let it mess with her fighting and her confidence. The rules were repeated to them as they stood in the middle of the ring, eyeing each other. “Now tap gloves to confirm.” The ref said to them, and they did so, backing into their corners. 

“You got this Jungeun!” Sooyoung shouted, and even though Jungeun didn’t react outwardly, she felt her body warm up. Oddly loving the support Sooyoung showed her, even from afar. 

“You ready?” He questioned the girl in the blue corner, and she nodded, punching the air. “Are you ready?” He questioned the girl in the red corner, and Jungeun also nodded.

“Fight!” He shouted, and she heard the bell ding. The anxiety in her immediately leaving the second Seulgi threw a punch that landed across her cheek. She backed away slightly, getting her bearings back. She had to remind herself that this was real, and she was in a ring where she could get put on her ass. So she blinked a few times, and regained her posture.

Throwing a punch that connected with Seulgi’s right side. She took the hit, regardless of how much it hurt. Jungeun definitely packed a punch. Seulgi admired that. But at the end of the day, this was a competition, and she wasn’t supposed to be going easy on her. So she answered back with a two punch combo. Both of them connecting with Jungeun’s nose. Knocking her back slightly, as she threw a punch back.

“Damn.” Taeyang commented, cringing at the sound of the hits. 

Jungeun had a flow going now. Getting in a few punches here and there. Racking up her combos and such, feeling like she was in control of the situation. Seulgi was indeed backed against the wall, taking any hits she got until she found an opening. And the bell rang, indicating this round was over. Jungeun backed away from the girl, going to her corner. She seemed fine, but she definitely wasn’t too focused. Especially with Sooyoung in front of her, checking her face and such. 

“You got this. Just breathe, and remember to protect your face. You give her an opening to your head too much, and this fight is over.” She informed, giving Jungeun some water. “Go and give her hell.” Sooyoung smiled, her hand lingering on Jungeun’s cheek for far too long. And before Jungeun knew it, she was back in front of Seulgi, preparing for the next round. She came more aggressive this time. The second the bell rang, she was moving towards Jungeun.

Dodging and weaving each punch she threw, letting the girl tire herself out before she threw in a brutal uppercut, knocking Jungeun to the floor. She didn’t give her any time to get back up, mounting her and throwing punches down at the girl. 

_”Protect your face.”_

She remembered those words from her trainer, blocking her face. Until she eventually found a way to get out of that position, kicking Seulgi always from her and getting back to her feet. She shook her head, raising her guard once again and throwing a left hook. Connecting instantly with Seulgi’s jaw, and the crowd went quiet as it was obvious she had been stunned by the hit. 

Jungeun moved back, ducking from the swing that came her way swiftly. Almost smiling to herself until she was hit with a punch directly on her right cheek, the sound of it connecting ringing throughout the venue. She fell to the floor, dazed, hearing the crowd go wild at the sight of her being knocked down. But she got back up, regardless of how bad it hurt, and how much she was bleeding from her mouth now. The bruising on her cheek became evident whenever she was hit there again.

She tried to ignore the crowd, and how little they made her feel. Her confidence disappeared whenever she was knocked down, again, and again, and _again_. But she didn’t give up. She couldn’t give up. Not when she could see Sooyoung looking back at her with worried eyes every time she was knocked flat onto her stomach. 

“Come on Jungeun…” Sooyoung mumbled to herself. 

Her heart breaking every time she saw Jungeun getting placed into a bad situation. Wobbling after each punch, and the blood trickling from her pretty lips. Her eye nearly swollen shut at this point. She found herself holding onto Seulgi, trying to keep herself from being knocked down. She remembered that Seulgi was very dependent on her submissions. Sooyoung warned her multiple times that week leading up to the fight. 

_“Don’t let her get you onto the ground. If you get knocked down, you get back up.” Sooyoung told her that. As her hands gently placed Jungeun’s onto her hips. “I’m Seulgi. Imagine I’m her. She gets you in that position on the ground, and you side mount her.Start here.” She gestured to her hands on her hips. “And you squirm your way out, and get onto her back. If you can’t get onto her back. You get up from that ground position the second you can.”_

_“But what if I don’t?”_

_Sooyoung removed her hands slowly, and turned back to her. “Then you put up a damn good fight when she tries to get you into position to submit.”_

But she was lifted off the mat and thrown to the ground hard. Her head bouncing off the mat and Seulgi’s sweaty body against hers trying to get ahold of Jungeun’s arm. And like Sooyoung told her, she put up a fight. But she was far too inexperienced to counter Seulgi, who had years of practice and training. So when her arm was locked into that armbar, she didn’t know what to do. She felt like if she didn’t tap, her arm would be practically dislocated. But if she did, her pride would take a hit, and she’d be damned if she gave this crowd what they wanted. 

_Ding ding ding!_

The bell quite literally saved her, as Seulgi threw her arm off of her and stood up. Jungeun also stood up, wobbling over to her corner as Sooyoung jumped into the ring. “Hey— look at me.” She said to the girl, her heart sinking at the sight of Jungeun. Her eye nearly swollen shut, and her cheek bruised as it turned a nasty purple color. “You’re better than this. And you’re better than everyone here in that crowd. I can tell it’s getting to you. Don’t worry about them. Think about your siblings, think about why you’re even here in this ring… Think about _me_.” 

And honestly Sooyoung felt like she had slipped up adding that part into it. And the moment she said that, she could feel Jungeun’s eyes on her as she did her best to fix her wounds up before she was sent back out into the fight. Her throat had gotten quite dry from how anxious she was after saying that. But she meant it. “I believe in you.” She simply said, and Jungeun’s entire attitude changed. 

It was getting hard for her to see, especially relying on just one good eye. And damn did her body ache. But hearing those words from Sooyoung sparked something in her. Seulgi was also beat up, not as badly as Jungeun though. 

This round, Seulgi really wasn’t letting up. She wanted to win. She had to win. She had never lost to a rookie, and she didn’t plan on losing to one today. But Jungeun was putting up a fight, and that scared her. Every knockdown that she did to Jungeun would have been a knockout for a different opponent. She was tough, and she could damn sure take a beating. She knew there had to be something much bigger than her, pushing her to keep going. Even when she was getting knocked down.

The two girls threw multiple punches, both landing perfectly as they became desperate for a win. Seulgi was winning to prove a point. Jungeun was winning to make Sooyoung proud. Sure she wanted the money in the end, but she’d still have to face Sooyoung. She didn’t want to disappoint her.

“You’re not going to win. Just give up already.” Seulgi spoke down on her, both of the girls fighting to throw the other down onto the mat. But they planted their feet, throwing punches to each other's vulnerable ribcage. 

“No.” Jungeun simply said, before throwing a stiff uppercut directly to Seulgi’s chin. Knocking her out flat onto the mat. And Jungeun backed away, watching as the ref told her to stay back. Sooyoung ran inside, pulling her into a hug. And for once, Jungeun _actually_ hugged her back. Tightly. When the taller girl backed away, she looked into Jungeun’s eyes. She wanted to do something, but she told herself not to push it too far. Just smiling at her instead.

“I told you. I said that you got this. Didn’t I?” She smiled, and Jungeun nodded, her head aching a bit. 

“You did.” She smiled up at her, feeling her arm being raised up as she was announced the winner. Mark jumping and clapping excitedly alongside Taeyang and Jinsoul. 

Jungeun looked at herself in the mirror in the venue's bathroom. She got beat up badly. She knew she was getting punched in the face a lot but damn did it show. Sooyoung waited patiently for the girl to return from the bathroom, so they could move to the locker room to tend to her injuries. She leaned up against the wall, smiling and waving at the people that walked by her to the exit. A woman stopped in front of her. 

She was short and very pale. Her hair was quite long as she stared at Sooyoung with a sharp smile. She wore a business suit, and her smile screamed professional. “Hi— I’m Joohyun. I assume you’re Ha Sooyoung? Founder of Black Swan?” 

“Yes— that’s me.” She removed her hand from her jacket pocket to shake the shorter girls. 

“I see you’re a good trainer. Your fighters seem to always have passion in the ring. Never giving up. Always putting on a show.” 

She nodded. No one had ever really told her that before. “I suppose..” 

Joohyun chuckled. “Well— I was interested, in the one that fought tonight. What was her name again? Jingoon—“

“Jungeun.” Sooyoung quickly corrected, eyeing her harshly now. Making Joohyun laugh nervously. 

“Pardon me— Jungeun.” She corrected herself. “She seems to have a lot of potential. Do you think she’d be interested in maybe fighting in the pro mma women's division one day?” 

Sooyoung froze for a second. Jungeun didn’t even seem interested in just this underground fighting. But she didn’t feel like she should be the one to be making these decisions for her. And Joohyun could tell she was thinking hard about it. “Okay.. how about this—“ She reached into her purse. “Give me a call in three months. When she has gotten some more wins under her belt, and you’ve both had some time to think about it.” 

The taller girl grabbed the card, looking down at it. She’d definitely do her research later. “It was nice to meet you Sooyoung. I hope we meet sometime again.” She smiled once again, before walking off. And just as she did, Jungeun exited from the bathroom.

Sooyoung looked like a deer in headlights. “Everything okay?” She questioned, and her heart nearly burst at the sight of Sooyoung’s sweet smile that beamed the second she spoke to her. 

“Yeah.. everything is fine. Let’s get you fixed up.” She placed her hand on her lower back and guided her back to the locker rooms.

* * *

Once Jungeun was patched up, the gang headed out of the venue and to their cars. “Great job again tonight Jungeun.” Jinsoul smiled at her. “You really stepped it up back there.” They walked side by side as the other 3 playfully pushed each other around like kids.

“Thank you Jinsoul..” 

“Was it because of Sooyoung?” 

And Jungeun’s heart stopped, and for a second, she almost stopped. “W-What?” 

Jinsoul scoffed. It wasn’t in a rude way, but more like a “There’s no way you can’t see that she likes you.”, kind of way. 

“Don’t play dumb… I know you see the way she looks at you.” And for a second, Sooyoung looked back at them both, giving them a smile, and her smile getting bigger when her eyes landed on Jungeun’s. Her attention being taken yet again by her brother and Mark. 

“I get that you’re scared.. but Sooyoung is… _good_. I’m just saying don’t pass up an opportunity for a good person in your life just because you’re scared…” She spoke softly, her hands in her pockets to protect her from the cold night air. “Great job again.. I’m proud of you.” 

Jinsoul walked over to her car, and Mark followed after waving and saying bye to the rest of them. They pulled off, and Sooyoung realized how awkward Jungeun had become. She was quiet, and the car was tense. If it wasn’t for Taeyang constantly leaning forward to talk to them, the tension would blow up this car. 

“I seriously thought you were a goner at one point of that fight. But then you got back up and I was like holy shit!” He exclaimed, getting a giggle out of Jungeun. “No like— seriously. You have a great trainer. My sister isn’t good at a lot of things, but she’s definitely good at teaching you whatever the hell you used back in that ring.” 

“Shut up.” Sooyoung threw her hand against his face and pushed him back into his seat. “And put your seatbelt on. You’re grown, but not grown enough to decide not to put a seatbelt on.” He rolled his eyes, and they sat in silence with the music playing until she dropped him off. 

He congratulated Jungeun again before closing the door and walking home. “Tell mom I said hi!” Sooyoung yelled out the window, before pulling off. And now it was just the two of them, and after that convo with Jinsoul, Jungeun didn’t know how to feel.

It may have been a feeling she was constantly ignoring, but she wasn’t expecting to face her possible feelings for Sooyoung just yet. If there were even any. There had to be something. Sooyoung’s smile, and her voice didn’t just make Jungeun’s heart race faster than she could comprehend for no reason. And the way she would look at her sometimes shouldn’t have given her butterflies. And her hands on her skin shouldn’t have left tingling sensations whenever she would remove them from her body. Even if it was just an innocent touch, she shouldn’t have felt anything. So maybe she did like Sooyoung. It was too early to tell. 

Her next fight was in 3 weeks. So she’d have plenty of time to recover and train. 

“Are you hungry? I’m sure after a fight like that you want some food in your system…” Sooyoung suggested, and Jungeun couldn’t say no to that face. But also she couldn’t say no because she really was hungry. 

So they found themselves eating breakfast at midnight. But it was nice, and there were only about 2 other tables with people at them here. Jungeun felt gross. She was sure her face was a mess right now. And her hair was in a messy bun with the baggy hoodie she wore. But Sooyoung didn’t care. She was still entranced by her beauty. Wishing she could just hold her close tonight and kiss her cheek. But she had to just look from afar. 

Admiring her whenever she wasn’t paying attention. Jungeun looked tired, and Sooyoung figured she should probably get her home. But neither of them moved. They just sat across from each other and stared. Both of them getting lost in each other's eyes… well in Sooyoung’s case, one of Jungeun’s eyes. Since the left one was swollen shut. But she still looked adorable. Especially with the white tape above her eyebrow where a cut formed. Sooyoung’s hand slowly traveled across the table, her fingers intertwining with Jungeun’s ever so slowly. And for a second Jungeun hesitated. But Jinsoul’s talk came back into her head. 

_”I’m just saying don’t pass up an opportunity for a good person in your life just because you’re scared…”_

So she let it happen. Intertwining her fingers with Sooyoung’s. She looked down at their hands for a moment, before looking back up to see a flushed Sooyoung. She was blushing madly now, trying her best to not smile like a crazy person. But her heart was truly doing flips. They got lost in each other’s eyes again. But the sound of the waiter’s voice made them jump. Removing their hands quickly and looking away from each other. 

“All good to go?” He questioned, and Sooyoung nodded. Things were a little awkward after that. 

“It’s getting late.. I should probably take you home now.” Sooyoung finally managed to say. Snapping herself out of the trance that was Kim Jungeun. 

“Yeah..” She softly said. And once she gave the waiter his tip they were leaving. Jungeun didn’t miss out on the small things. Like how Sooyoung let her walk ahead of her instead of behind her. How she held the door open for her and gave her space to walk instead of bombarding her with closeness. 

She played music on the way home, like she always did. “Make sure you take care of that eye okay?” She said as Jungeun removed her seatbelt. The brunette turned to her and smiled softly. 

“Okay..” 

For a moment Sooyoung thought Jungeun was going to lean forward and kiss her. It seemed like she wanted to. Maybe Sooyoung was just doing some wishful thinking. “I’ll see you soon.” She finally broke the silence, and Jungeun stepped out of the car. She noticed how Sooyoung didn’t pull off until she was fully in the house. She wanted to make sure she actually made it inside safely. 

Smiling to herself as she drove home that night.

* * *

**2 weeks later**

It was pretty obvious that Jungeun had a change of heart. Or maybe she just felt closer to Sooyoung. They were sitting inside of the ring, drinking from the bottles Mark handed them when Jungeun started talking about how frustrating things were at home. She talked about how her Mom had come home the other night, drunk out of her mind when she snapped on her younger brother Lucas. For nothing in particular. She was just drunk, and idiotic. Jungeun brushed it off, but Sooyoung could tell it bothered her. Especially because Jungeun quite literally never told anyone anything. Even if it was just about herself. But she told Sooyoung.. 

“I should probably head home now.. have to take care of my siblings.” Jungeun stood up, and Sooyoung followed behind. She walked over to the counter as Jungeun left to the locker rooms. She watched her until she was completely out of view.

“Someone is in _loveeee_.” Jinsoul teased as she typed on her computer. Even from the corner of her eye she could see Sooyoung’s hawk eyes on Jungeun. 

Sooyoung immediately started blushing. “I’m not— in love.” 

And she felt herself becoming even hotter at the sound of Jinsoul’s chuckle. Sooyoung wouldn’t call this love quite yet. But she certainly did feel something very strong for Jungeun. Whatever it was, she couldn’t help it. 

“Uh huh..” Jinsoul teased even more. “You’re starting to look like a tomato.” 

“Okay stop. Seriously..” Sooyoung begged her, and Jinsoul agreed to stop.. for now. 

“Bye Sooyoung.” Jungeun waved, and Sooyoung waved back. So flustered by the entire situation that she couldn’t even speak. Jungeun let her hair flow now. No ponytail or bun, and she wore an adorable oversized sweater. Sooyoung couldn’t believe how good she looked in something as simple as that. 

And when she heard Jinsoul burst out laughing again, she knew she wasn’t even in the place to deny what the girl was already thinking.

* * *

“Sooyoung seriously, you gotta help us bring in these new supplies.” Mark groaned, dropping one of the heavy boxes onto the ground. She had just placed in an order for some flowers to be sent to Jungeun’s job. She knew how her mom was, so she just avoided that all together. 

“Okay— okay. I’m coming, god, you are so whiny sometimes.” She complained, and he rolled his eyes. 

Jungeun hadn’t gone to work today. She was supposed to, but she called out last minute. Yerim had gotten pretty sick that day, so she decided to stay home and take care of her. Since her mother surely wouldn’t. Yerim had fallen asleep while Jungeun held her close. Soothingly rubbing her back as she slept peacefully. The room door opened, and she was surprised to see her mother looking back at her. 

“I’m out of beer.” She simply said, and Jungeun sighed deeply.

“And why are you telling me?”

“Because I want you to go and buy me some more.” 

“Do you have money?” Her daughter questioned her. 

“No. But you do.” 

Jungeun shook her head. “Mom— I don’t have money to just.. buy you alcohol all of the time. I have bills to pay, I have a house to feed. I need money for transportation.. I don’t have money to feed your alcohol addiction.” 

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. Buy me beer, or else.” She slammed the door, waking the girl in her arms. Yerim sat up, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

“What happened?” 

“Nothing Yerim.. go back to sleep.”

* * *

Eventually Lucas got home from school. And Jungeun asked him to take care of Yerim until she got back home later. And didn’t mind doing things for her sisters. Especially after learning one of them is an MMA fighter in the making. He was still fascinated by that, even though Jungeun refused to let them see a fight. 

When Jungeun arrived there, she showed no signs of having received a gift from Sooyoung. When she checked the status of her delivery, it said it had been delivered. Maybe she had gotten it and didn’t like it… 

That made Sooyoung feel uneasy. 

Jungeun didn’t even wait for Sooyoung this time around. Immediately running over to the treadmills and working out. 

Back at the music store, a delivery truck had pulled up. Haseul looked up from the counter when the door opened. A smile on her face to greet the customer, until she saw that he was holding something. It was a large flower arrangement. Jiwoo came from the back of the store with a box full of things when she saw it. “Whoa! So pretty! Is that for you?!” She quickly placed the box down and ran over to the shorter girl behind the counter.

Just as Jiwoo asked that, Haseul opened the card. 

_To: Jungeun (ovo) ❤️  
From: Sooyoung <(•) <— It’s a bird :) _

“Sooyoung?” She questioned. “Like the attractive gym trainer Sooyoung?!” 

“I knew she liked Jungeun! I knew it!” Jiwoo shouted, clapping excitedly. 

“Hold on— Jungeun didn’t even work today..” Jiwoo pointed out. “Maybe Sooyoung thought she was here..” 

Haseul caught on. “Yeah— but she had to take care of Yerim.. She was really sick today. After my shift I’ll just go and drop them off at her place.” 

“Oh… okay!” Jiwoo said. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

Haseul smiled. “Duh! Jungeun is going to love this.”

* * *

“I should probably start heading home now. My sister was really sick today, I don’t want to leave her in my brother’s hands for too long.” Jungeun mentioned.

“Oh I know that one..” Sooyoung nodded. “Make sure to give her fluids and keep her warm.” 

“Thank you Dr. Sooyoung.” Jungeun playfully said.

“Hm.” Sooyoung leaned against the counter. “Dr. Sooyoung huh? I think I like the sound of that actually. Maybe I should just quit this all and focus on getting a medical degree.” 

“Good luck with that.” Jungeun smirked, grabbing her water bottle. “I’ll see you this weekend for the fight right?” 

“Actually— earlier than that. I’ll see you the day before the fight. So we can just practice a little more before another big day.” 

“Good.. see you later Sooyoung.” She smiled, even showing teeth this time. Her smile was adorable, and Sooyoung had to physically clutch her chest. Feeling her heart pumping against her inner walls. 

It started raining as Jungeun waited for her bus. She wished she would’ve just asked Sooyoung for a ride. But it was far too late now. Her bus was just now pulling up. Nearly splashing water onto her already cold, wet body. 

There was a knock on the door as the two siblings sat in the kitchen. Lucas had made Yerim and himself some chicken noodle soup. And they both stopped their movements when they heard it. The tipsy woman on the couch stood up, wobbling over to the door. She was met with a shorter woman with short hair. Flowers in her hand. “Who the hell are you?” She questioned, and the girl was visibly shaken.

“I’m Haseul.. a friend of Jungeun’s. Um.. these were sent for her today, but she didn’t come into work so I brought them here for her…” 

The woman grabbed the flowers. Looking at the name of the sender. “Sooyoung?” She questioned. “Who is Sooyoung?”

“Oh! It’s just Jungeun’s trainer—“

“Trainer?”

“Um.. yes. At the boxing gym..” 

“Hm.” She said, “Well— I’ll make sure she gets these. Thank you.” Haseul could tell the woman had been drinking. She reeked of alcohol. Lucas and Yerim both looked at each other. They knew this wasn’t going to end well. They heard the door close, and not long after they heard the sound of a vase breaking. The woman had slammed the vase with flowers onto the ground. 

Lucas tried to stay calm. He knew where this was heading. “Just finish your food so we can go upstairs..” He spoke quietly, so they didn’t alert the irritated woman in the other room. 

Lucas anxiously waited in his room for Jungeun to arrive. He hoped his mother would be asleep before she arrived. But he knew that's not how it works. Especially when his mom was angered by something. It was the only time she seemed to be in the right state of mind. When she was full of anger. 

His entire body went numb when he heard the front door open and close after about 30 minutes had passed. Jungeun had a pretty good day. She made sure to lock the door behind her. When she turned around, she noticed something in the hall. It was a broken vase with soil from it on the floor. Above it white lilies scattered across the floor. “Where have you been?” 

“I was out.” Jungeun simply replied, hearing her mother's voice. She slurred slightly, but Jungeun could tell she wasn’t completely drunk. If she was, she wouldn’t even be able to stand right now. 

“Were you at work?”

Jungeun froze. “No.” 

“Yeah. I know.” She said quickly after. “Who is Sooyoung?” 

Jungeun wasn’t sure where this was going. But she could tell it wasn’t going to be good. “A friend.” 

“A _friend_?” She questioned. Suddenly Jungeun was being gripped up by her hair. She yelped at the roughness, and pried the woman’s hands off her head. 

“What kind of friend sends someone flowers?!” She raised her voice. “A girlfriend?” 

“I’m not doing this with you mom.” Jungeun walked away to the kitchen. The woman following behind her closely. Her mother always showed subtle hints of homophobia. But she was never outright with it. Probably because she didn’t have a reason to be. Not until right now. 

“So you have money to go to some gym and learn how to fight— but can’t buy your own mother some fucking beer?!” Her voice getting louder. Jungeun froze when her mother said that. “Yeah. I bet you didn’t know about that huh? Well, your little friend stopped by and told me about it. You fucking liar.” 

“Mom I seriously don’t have the money to fuel your alcohol addiction. Thanks to me— your kids have food to eat every night. So yes, I do have money for that. Because I’m doing it for a damn good reason. Now if you’ll excuse me—“ And as she brushed past her mom, she felt a slap across her face. Knocking her to the floor. She sat on the floor in shock.

“Don’t you dare speak to me that way. You have _no idea_ , what I’ve sacrificed for you ungrateful little pieces of shit. You don’t know what I’ve sacrificed, to keep a roof over your heads. To give you a home.” 

“This doesn’t feel like much of a home at all..” Jungeun said, standing up and leaving the kitchen. The woman roughly pushed her. Pushing her so hard it knocked even her own drunken balance off. 

“Then leave! Fucking leave! Go out there— like the grown little bitch you are and see what it's like to raise 3 kids and try to afford to put a roof over their heads.” She screamed. 

Lucas quickly packed a bag, going into Yerim’s room and telling her to do the same. “What? Why?” She questioned, jumping up quickly.

“Because wherever Jungeun is going, we’re going too.” It was as simple as that. 

Yerim’s eyes watered for a second, but she knew there was no time to cry. The sound of glass breaking caught Lucas’ attention, and he quickly ran downstairs, seeing the woman holding up a glass shard towards Jungeun. His eyes widened as he quickly ran over to her, removing the glass from her hand and using all his strength to hold her in place. She kicked and screamed for him to let her go, and a tear nearly escaped his eye but he blinked it away quickly. As Jungeun came back from her shock and realized the severity of the situation. Lucas held onto the woman until she stopped fighting, gesturing for Jungeun to go. 

She fell to the floor, leaning against the wall and crying as she let out a string of curses. Jungeun quickly ran upstairs, bumping into Yerim who had her bag packed and ready to go. She watched as her older sister packed a bag too. “What are you doing Yerim?” Jungeun quickly looked away, wiping her tears from her eyes so her sister wouldn’t see.

“Coming with you.” Her voice was quiet. It almost came out like a whisper. “Both of us..” She referred to Lucas as well. He also appeared moments later, his duffel bag over his shoulder. They all went downstairs once Jungeun finished packing, and their mother emerged from the kitchen. Holding onto the wall as she moved forward.

“W-where are you going?” She questioned the other two. “Why do you have bags?” 

“They’re coming with me.” Jungeun managed to speak, knowing her younger siblings wouldn’t open their mouths. “I’m not leaving them here with you.. you’re dangerous.” 

“No.. no.. no… please don’t take them away from me. Please—“

Jungeun watched as the woman broke down, pulling onto Lucas’ hand as he found the strength to pry the woman off of him. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry..” He said to her, his own tears falling now. Jungeun opened the door, holding Yerim’s hand and waiting for Lucas to break free. 

He closed the door, and from outside they could hear the sounds of screaming and glass breaking. But Jungeun didn’t give in. Not this time. They walked for almost 30 minutes now. At least leaving their neighborhood since people around there knew them. Jungeun didn’t know where to go. She didn’t even have an idea of where to go. She just knew she needed to get out of there. And quickly. It was cold tonight, and she watched as her brother held Yerim close to him to keep her warm. “I’m sorry I dragged you both into this..”

“You didn’t.” Lucas assured her. “We wanted to come with you.. it’s not safe at home without you.” Jungeun gave a broken smile. She didn’t know what to do now. She called her friends, but none of them answered. Jiwoo had knocked out already, as she had a long day at work. Haseul was on a date, so she didn’t have her phone ringer on. She only had one last option.

* * *

“Duh— you know I’ll be here tomorrow morning. Make sure you lock up this place.” She said to Mark, handing him the building keys. She was about to walk away from the counter when Jinsoul started speaking to her.

“I got an email saying your gym merchandise will be arriving here tomorrow. Mark should be able to get it since he’ll be here in the morning.” She informed, and Mark groaned.

“More heavy boxes… why doesn’t Jinsoul ever help with this stuff?” 

She smiled. “Because I don’t want to mess up my nails.” Sooyoung just shook her head at the bantering. Her phone rang and she quickly took it out. Her heart beating at the sight of the caller. She smiled. It was Jungeun. 

“Hey, what’s up?” She answered enthusiastically. But the longer the call went on, the more her face dropped.

“Where are you?” She questioned, getting the other two people in the rooms attention. “Are you safe?” 

She quickly grabbed her bag and her keys. “Okay— it’s cold outside. Take them into the restaurant inside of that shopping centre. I’ll be there soon.” She hung up, a look of worry etched across her features. 

“Is everything okay?” Jinsoul questioned.

“It’s Jungeun.” Sooyoung simply said, causing distress to the other two who had no idea what was going on. “Make sure you lock this place up. I’ll probably be coming in late tomorrow.”

* * *

Sooyoung quickly pulled into the parking lot. Walking inside and seeing them sitting in the corner of the restaurant. The second she walked over to them, Jungeun stood up and hugged Sooyoung. And she didn’t let go for a really long time. She needed to hold it together. The way Sooyoung gently held her nearly made her breakdown. But she couldn’t. Not now. Not in front of them. And especially not in front of these strangers around. 

Sooyoung held onto Jungeun, and gestured for the other two to come along. She got them into the car, and the entire ride back to her place was silent. There wasn’t much to say, and it seemed like Jungeun didn’t really want to talk about it. It was also getting pretty late, and the kids had school tomorrow. She showed them around her place. Letting them know where to get towels and such. And while they took their showers, she cooked them something to eat. Jungeun said she wasn’t hungry. But really she just didn’t have much of an appetite after tonight's events. 

She changed the sheets and pillow cases on her bed for the new guests. And while Jungeun showered she got the kids situated in bed. “You guys okay?” She questioned, not really knowing what else to say.

Lucas just shrugged. But he could tell she was trying. “Thank you.. for letting us sleep in your bed.” Yerim thanked her quietly. And Sooyoung gave a gentle smile. 

“It’s no problem. Get some sleep… you guys had a long day.” She turned off the room light, closing the door behind her. Jungeun was still showering when Sooyoung relaxed on her couch. She turned on the tv and watched some netflix show her friends had told her about. 

Jungeun stood in the shower, the hot water hitting her skin as she cried as quietly as possible. She wanted to scream, she wanted to punch something. She just needed to yell to get this overwhelming feeling out of her. She hated that no matter what she would still care for her mom. As shitty as she was, she didn’t leave them. Not like her dad did. That was something right? She didn’t know anymore. She finally managed to stop crying, turning off the water and drying herself off. The cut above her eyebrow healing much better now. She left the bathroom, hair still wet. 

Sooyoung paused her show, watching as Jungeun walked over to her with a shirt much bigger than she was on. And some cute blue pajama pants with clouds on them. She sat beside Sooyoung on the couch, sighing deeply and running a hand down her face. “Thank you… for letting me stay here.” She quietly said, avoiding eye contact. She could tell Sooyoung could see right through her.

“It’s no problem..” 

She really wanted to know what happened. But she was afraid to ask. Jungeun didn’t really look like she wanted to talk about much. “No like.. really— you didn’t have to.. and you dropped everything for me the second I called so thank you.. really. I appreciate it Sooyoung.” She finally looked up, and Sooyoung could see the sincerity in her pretty oval shaped eyes. 

She slowly reached a hand up, tucking the hair back behind Jungeun’s cute ears. And she watched as Jungeun leaned into her touch, making Sooyoung want to do something really risky. She shouldn’t. Not now. Not while Jungeun was this vulnerable. But she couldn’t help but atleast think about it. She just looked so kissable right now. Her thumb traced the scar above her eyebrow, and Jungeun just looked back at her. Feeling overwhelmed by the emotions she felt at that moment. She didn’t know exactly what it was that made her do what she did. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” She asked her softly. And Jungeun softly shook her head. She felt like if she did she’d breakdown again. So she brushed it off for now.

“No.. not right now..” 

But Sooyoung understood. 

“Sorry for infiltrating your space and all..” Jungeun joked for a second. Hearing Sooyoung giggle for a second, which in turn made her smile. 

“I promise I don’t mind..” Sooyoung quietly said, still raking her hands through the girl’s wet hair. “You can stay for as long as you need to..” 

Jungeun’s eyes watered for a second, and she quickly looked down. Knowing she’d worry Sooyoung if she started crying. “Why… do you care so much?” She suddenly asked, and Sooyoung stopped moving. She didn’t know what to do.

Should she confess? Should she lie? Tell her that it’s because that’s what friends are for? Or should she tell her that she felt like she fell for her the moment she laid eyes on her? No.. that’d probably scare her off.

“Because I like you.” She settled on saying. “Like.. I really like you a lot. But even if I didn’t like you.. I’d still help you Jungeun because you needed someone and I—“

And she was shut up when she felt lips on hers. Silencing her temporarily as she felt Jungeun’s soft hands holding both sides of her face. Their lips pressed against each other as Jungeun slightly tilted her head and got lost in the way Sooyoung ran her hands down her back. 

Sooyoung’s mind went blank. She couldn’t lie about it. And if she had to describe how good she felt right now, she wouldn’t be able to describe it. Not in that moment anyway. But when she did, she’d say that it was like fireworks in a pretty night sky. It felt like hot chocolate on a freezing cold day, and like a hug when you needed it the most. And even when she felt lightheaded from the lack of oxygen, she didn’t care. She chased Jungeun’s lips when she _dared_ to pull away from her. Her head leaning against the arm of the chair and Sooyoung’s soft warm hands running up her exposed thigh. 

And Jungeun had never kissed someone this way. Hell, she’d barely kissed anyone. But she couldn’t help herself. The emotions that ran through her when she looked into Sooyoung’s eyes were hard to explain and she felt like the only way to express that was to just kiss her. To simply just— kiss her. Kiss her until her lips were sore from all of the biting, and kiss her until she craved the feeling of Jungeun’s lips against hers. And oh did she miss Sooyoung’s lips when they finally parted. 

But she felt at peace, for once in her life. She felt at peace when she lied across her chest that night on the couch as they watched Netflix together. She didn’t know what was to come after tonight. Or how things would be tomorrow, or the next day.. or even next month. Because it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered when she was in Sooyoung’s arms like this. Nothing mattered when she felt those warm hands soothingly rubbing her back and those soft lips pressed against her forehead as she drifted off to sleep. 

Nothing else mattered but _Sooyoung_. And that scared her. It really did..

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I have been working on for about 3 months now.. not even kidding. Probably the longest thing I’ve ever worked on, and I got anxious to share with everyone. So here it is. Part 1 of my Lipves MMA fic. I worked really hard on this, which is why it took so long. And I hope I lived up to the expectations of everyone who was waiting patiently for it. I promise Part 2 will be coming out eventually. But for now... I hope you all enjoyed this.
> 
> Because I truly enjoyed writing it. Until next time 😊
> 
> **Twitter: @heejinonly**


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